Rarely Pure and Never Simple
by excel.siors
Summary: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!" After The Other Time, Harvey and Donna receive some life-changing news. Everything happens for a reason, and this time is no exception.
1. Prologue

**HAPPY SUITS MONTH! I came up with this idea and then just couldn't let go of it. I'm honestly surprised no one else thought of it before, so here's hoping I do it justice :) Thanks, as always, to the lovely friend who listened to countless brainstorming sessions and helped me piece this together from scratch. I love you endlessly (you know who you are).**

Our story opens here, at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, at approximately 10:52 PM on February 23, 2006.

The city remains wild as ever outside: taxi cabs ushering patrons across miles of crowded streets, tourists fluttering from building to building with urgency, street performers taking money from young adults in awe, the lights shining bright as ever so that any glimpse of the heavens is impossible. It isn't snowing, but there's evidence of a past storm still in piles on street corners, clumps of beautiful white ice turned brown. It's chilly out, not surprisingly cold for late February in New York, judging by the way passersby bustle along with scarves drawn around their noses or faces buried in their coat collars.

In contrast, the inside of the hospital is incredibly warm. Maybe it's this room in particular, but there's definitely a very homey feeling about the place. The muted yellow lighting surrounds the bed where the patient is lying, casting a soft glow around those that come inside. Just outside the room, nurses and doctors are mulling about, attending to business as usual, but with a calmer presence than those outside the hospital doors. This urgency speaks of confidence and certainty, knowing exactly where one is to be at any given moment and just exactly what one should do.

The sole occupant of this room is a woman (early thirties, red hair, pale skin, maybe a bit taller than average height, though this can't be judged properly as she's currently laying in bed). The woman is fading in and out of consciousness, having had a particularly grueling evening and nothing exactly to keep her awake at present, though she is patiently awaiting the arrival of several of the room's previous occupants. She's just feeling herself start to drift off to sleep again when the sound of a soft knock on the door reaches her ears and in comes another woman. This one is probably in her late fifties, dark skin, shorter than average, wearing scrubs, and wheeling in a cart.

"We're back," the nurse calls, voice dripping with southern hospitality and more enthusiasm than the patient can find within her at the moment. "How we doin' in here?"

"Alright," the patient responds with a small smile, lifting herself into a straighter sitting position. "I'll be better when I've got some food in me."

"I'm sure," the nurse replies, coming to take a look at the monitors on the sides of the bed, just for the sake of being careful. "You get any sleep?"

"Not really," the redhead sighs with a telltale yawn.

The nurse shakes her head disapprovingly, "It's only gonna get worse from here, ya know."

The patient chuckles softly, "I assumed as much."

"I suppose telling you to sleep until the food gets here is a waste of my time?"

The redhead nods sheepishly, looking eagerly towards the cart the nurse rolled in, but can't really see much from this angle.

With a huff of resignation, the nurse approaches the cart again, reaching down and lifting out a little bundle wrapped in a pink blanket, "Maybe you wanna try nursing now, instead?"

"I can do that," the redhead nods as the nurse passes the baby into her arms. "Just don't let him in before I'm finished."

"Gotcha," the nurse winks.

Very soon the child has latched on eagerly, and the redhead woman is watching with awe (and a bit of jealousy) as she watches her child consume her first meal.

"So," the nurse prods, "you finally settle on a name while we were gone?"

They hadn't, not really. They narrowed it down a good bit but hadn't decided officially, wanting to see the girl once more before sticking her with a name. Though, for whatever reason, looking down at this little masterpiece of a child they'd created, one that is entirely her own, she knows exactly which name fits her best.

"Rosalind," she whispers, smiling to herself. "Rosalind Jane."

The nurse smiles brightly at her in return, "A gorgeous name for a gorgeous baby."

"Thank you."

"I mean it too. Been workin' this job half my life, and I don't say something like that lightly. She's an angel, honey. Truly."

The mother admires her daughter, taking in the surrealness of it all in a moment of peace where they are completely connected like this. There's another knock on the door, but, as promised, the nurse refuses to let him in until the baby is done feeding, which happens to be in only a few short minutes.

"Want me to give you two another minute before I send Dad in?" the nurse offers when the patient's all covered up once more.

The woman shakes her head, gaze still fixed on the child, "We've got a whole lifetime of that ahead of us. Don't we, Rosie?"

And she swears, even though she knows it's impossible, that her daughter gives her a little smile. The nurse responds with a look full of all the sympathy she needs just now before ducking out of the room to retrieve the child's father.

Seconds later, a man enters the room. He's around the woman's age, average build, dirty blonde hair, wearing a suit but missing a jacket and tie, shirt rolled up at his elbows and unbuttoned at the top. He's also carrying a pizza and a bottle of water.

"How are my girls?" he asks, smile wide on his face as he approaches the bed.

"Great, _wonderful_, now that you're here."

"I was gone for all of about forty-five minutes," the man replies, setting his things down on the tray beside the bed and pulling it in front of the woman. "Didn't think you'd miss me that much."

"I didn't," the redhead replies immediately. "I was talking to the pizza."

The man purses his lips and rolls his eyes at her, but opens the box for her nonetheless.

"Pepperoni, extra cheese, no garlic. Just like you asked."

"And _that_ is why you are my favorite man."

He smiles, "Want me to take her so you can eat?"

"Yes, please," she sighs, and though she's dying to put away this entire pizza, giving up the child in her arms upsets her more than she realized it might.

"Just pace yourself there, Shaggy. Don't want you to overload on the pizza."

She sticks her tongue out at him and immediately dives in. As focused as she is on getting as much food into her stomach in as little time as possible, she can't help but notice the soft interaction between father and daughter beside her.

"Hi," he says, beginning to walk to child towards the window. "I know you're too young to understand right now, but I'm your dad. I can't be a real dad for you, not the way I should be. Your mom deserves better, and one day she'll find it. But no matter what, I'm always going to be your dad, and I'm always going to make sure you and your mother are taken care of, so don't you worry your tiny little head about that, got it?"

Maybe it's the hormones making her more emotional than normal, but she can feel the tears streaming out of her eyes before his speech is over. When he turns back to face her, though, she can tell he's crying too, so she doesn't think it has much to do with the hormones at all. He comes to rest at the edge of the bed, still holding the baby tightly to his chest before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her tiny forehead.

"I love you," he whispers. "So much. And don't you ever forget it."

He hums softly for a while so she can finish her dinner without interruption, and eventually, the child falls asleep right there in his arms.

"I told the nurse we named her Rosalind."

"Hm?" he lifts his head, not having heard her.

"I said that I told the nurse her name was Rosalind. It fits, don't you think?"

He looks down at his daughter once again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, "Yeah, I think it does. So, Rosie, it is, then?"

She nods, and he scoots a bit closer to her so they can both observe their child together.

"She's incredible," he murmurs, voice soft. "How'd we manage to create something this perfect?"

"I dunno. We do make a pretty good team."

"That we do," he lifts his eyes, and this time his smile is all for her. "I know we're making the right choice for her, I do, it's just..."

"Just that it feels like your heart's been broken right in half?" she finishes.

He nods, tight-lipped, eyes red again.

"Harvey," she finally whispers, his name light on her lips and full of all the adoration she's ever felt for him, "you know I love you, don't you?"

He swallows, "I know. I love you too. You'll always be my best friend, Donna."

"And that's how she'll always know you. My best friend."


	2. Silvery

**Wow, okay I'm so shook by all the encouragement for this story. I really hope I do it justice because this one is really close to my heart. **

**In other news, all the titles for chapters other than the prologue and epilogue come from the songs on the album Heiress by Novo Amor and Ed Tullet, which is a very aesthetically beautiful collection of music that correlates well with the tone I hope this story conveys. Each little snippet of lyrics is from the corresponding song, and they're all in order, so, ya know, give it a listen if you want :)**

"_I will let the blood from the corners of your eyes_

_I'll vignette the flood from the borders of, the borders of your tide_

_You and I"_

It's around noon on a Friday when Harvey finds himself standing on the corner of W 88th street and Central Park West. He's been here a couple of times, never on a Friday, and never this early, but it isn't entirely out of place for him to be entering the front doors at Trevor Day School and approaching the front desk.

"Hi," the receptionist, an older man wearing a lanyard with the school's logo, greets him warmly. "How can I help you, sir?"

"I'm here to pick someone up for early release," Harvey replies, fishing his wallet out of his pocket and moving to stand directly in front of the desk.

"The child's name?"

"Rosalind," Harvey supplies, opening his wallet without looking up. "Rosalind Paulsen."

The older man makes several clicks on the computer, typing in the name given before turning back to Harvey, "And you are?"

"Harvey Specter."

"Ah, yes," the receptionist smiles. "You're right here on the list, Mr. Specter, but I'll need to see an ID."

Handing over his license, Harvey waits patiently while the man checks to make sure the identification given matches his own and his name. After a short few seconds, he's handed back his ID and told to take a seat over to the side while the man contacts the teacher. It's another five minutes or so before he's allowed to find his way to the classroom, escorted by another teacher even though he knows the way by now. When he knocks on the door, a young woman answers with a bright smile.

"You must be here for Rosie," she greets him.

He nods, "Yeah, I—"

"Harvey," a squeal cuts him off and in another second, a small child is flinging herself at him, almost catching him so off guard that he fails to catch her, but not quite. He's never failed to catch her before.

"Rosie," the teacher scolds. "We don't yell, and we most certainly don't run in the classroom."

"Sorry Ms. Madison," Rosie replies immediately, looking very guilty indeed. "But Harvey's here to get me!"

"So I see. And who might Harvey be?"

"He's my Mommy's boss," says Rosie without missing a beat. "But he's her best friend too. And my best friend."

"Got that right," Harvey agrees, poking her stomach in a way that makes her squirm in his arms. "Ready to go?"

"We're leaving?" Rosie asks, head cocked to the side in slight confusion.

"Yeah. I'm here to pick you up."

"But what about Jenna?"

"I gave her the afternoon off," Harvey explains.

Rosie doesn't say anything in response to this, still slightly confused, but turns to her teacher, "I guess I have to go."

Miss Madison laughs, "It's quite alright. School's almost over for today anyway, and I'm sure you'll be back tomorrow."

"She will," Harvey assures them both. "C'mon, Shortstop."

He sets her down so that she can quickly grab her things (a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lunchbox and sparkly rainbow backpack) and rejoin him again in the hall. They wave goodbye to her teacher, and then Harvey grabs her hand, leading her towards the front entrance.

"Why did you come and get me, Harvey?" she asks once they're a little way down the hall.

"I already told you. I gave Jenna the day off."

"But why?" Rosie persists. "Is she sick?"

"No. Jenna's perfectly fine."

"Then why?"

Harvey huffs, both out of irritation and affection for the little girl attached to his hand as they make their way through the door and outside.

"I wanted to hang out with you today," he tells her simply. "We haven't done that in a while."

"Oh," says Rosie. "Okay. Is Mommy coming?"

"She's pretty busy today since I skipped out on work, so I think it's just gonna be you and me."

"And Ray," Rosie adds, looking at where his car is parked along the side of the road a few feet down.

"And Ray," Harvey agrees. "So, what do you say? Wanna go get some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" her eyes light up. "Let's go!"

She tugs on his hand, pulling him as fast as her little four-year-old legs can carry her down the sidewalk and into the car. As soon as she's all buckled into her car seat, Harvey walks around the other side of the car to slide in beside her. Just in the time it took him to make that short trip, she's already babbling away to Ray about the incredibly eventful morning she's had in preschool.

Thirty minutes later finds them inside Coldstone, seated at a table in the back corner, Havey enjoying a simple scoop of chocolate while Rosie is very excitedly digging into a cup of cake batter full of M&Ms and whipped cream.

"We should bring Ray some ice cream too," Rosie suggests around a mouthful of ice cream.

"Okay," Harvey agrees. "What flavor do you think he wants?"

Rosie ponders this for a moment, spoon dripping ice cream while she holds it, "I think maybe coffee. He likes coffee."

Harvey smiles, "I'll text him."

They've already exhausted most topics of conversation except for the one he's been avoiding since picking her up from school. He knows he has to just get it out, but a small part of him is afraid. He's been in denial all morning, and her presence has been an easy distraction, but as soon as he tells her what he knows he has to tell her, it will be real in a way it hasn't been since Donna walked into his office. But he's always been a fan of ripping the bandaid off, so he just plunges right into it.

When he tells her, she doesn't really have much to say. She's only four, after all, and she's seen his father a total of two times in her life over a cumulative one hour at most. But even at this age, he can tell just how aware she is of how much he's hurting. So when she abandons her ice cream to crawl into his lap and wrap her little arms around his neck, he holds her as tight as he can, and tries not to let too many tears fall into her hair.

He barely sleeps that night. At 5:20, he gives up and decides to go for a run. After taking a long shower and fixing himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast, he figures he might as well head into the office and take care of the work he missed the day before. He hangs around there for a while, busying himself with more files that really don't need to be tended to. He's not particularly in the mood to be around people, but when his phone rings around 4:00 with Donna's contact and Rosie on the line inviting him to dinner, he can't very well say no.

At 6:30 on the dot, he's outside apartment 206, knocking on the door and waiting to be let in.

The door swings open, revealing Donna in casual clothes, hair up in a messy ponytail.

"Glad you could join us," she smiles, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes, and he knows his smile is the same, but he can't help but smile back.

"Always time for my girls," he replies before entering.

"Mommy!" Rosie's voice calls from the kitchen. "The oven's ready now."

"Coming!" Donna shouts back.

Harvey follows her into the kitchen, sneaking up behind Rosie who is standing in a chair sitting right in front of the stove. He reaches down and grabs her shoulders with a rough, "Gotcha!"

She jumps, but doesn't even turn to look at him before groaning, "Harvey! You scared me."

"Sorry," he shrugs, sliding around to the side of her chair. "Just couldn't resist."

She crinkles her nose up at him and glares for a moment as he surveys the food in front of them.

"What do we have here?"

"Pizza!" Rosie shouts excitedly. "We made it ourselves."

"Alright, baby, you gotta move so I can get to the oven," Donna says, reaching for the platter in front of the girl.

Harvey scoops Rosie up in one swift motion before sliding the chair out of the way and tossing her over her shoulder.

"Harvey!" she giggles as her face comes in contact with his back.

Hand wrapped securely around her little legs, he stomps into the living room before depositing her swiftly into the sofa, where she lands with a little bounce. He towers over her, watching her laughs subside rhythmically. The smile that pulls at his lips is genuine, and despite the internal torture he's been battling all day, he finds himself in a momentary state of peace.

"Let's play fight!" Rosie cries enthusiastically.

Harvey smirks, "You're on, Shortstop."

They chat mindlessly over dinner. Rosie takes up most of the attention, as little girls like her are wont to do, and though Donna would normally scold her for talking so much and not giving anyone else a turn, she doesn't this time. Harvey isn't sure if it's her being careless because they've had a rough day, or if she knows it's exactly what he needs, but probably a little of both. She is Donna, after all. By 8:00, Donna announces that it's time for Rosie's bath, and after just the right amount of complaints, the girl begrudgingly follows her mother into the bathroom. Harvey begins with the cleanup, waiting on Donna to reappear. He's almost entirely done loading the dishwasher when she returns, sleeves rolled up to her elbows with a few damp spots as a telltale sign of Rosie's enthusiastic splashing.

"That went about as expected," he comments breezily, starting the dishwasher.

She grunts in agreement, "Always the struggle to get her in the tub, and then she never wants to leave."

"Sounds pretty on par for your child."

Donna rolls her eyes, "I told her she could play for a while so we could chat."

"About?"

"How we're gonna break it to her that you're leaving."

Harvey scrunches his face up, genuinely confused, "Leaving? What are you talking about?"

"I don't mean _leaving_, leaving," she corrects, moving closer to him and shifting her weight to lean against the counter. "But you know how she gets when her routine is thrown off. Even being gone for a day is going to affect her. You won't be there when she comes to the office on Tuesday so that obviously won't go over well."

"Donna," says Harvey, "do you think you could possibly enlighten me as to what on earth you're talking about? Does Jessica have me going to some conference that I forgot about?"

She gives him a look that says she knows more than she should, and while that's not surprising in the least, her next words hit like a ton of bricks.

"I'm talking about you going to Boston."

He purses his lips, then, "Donna."

"You need to go to your father's funeral, Harvey."

He shakes his head, turning away from her, "I can't. There's too much going on at the firm."

"Listen to me," she tells him. "You just suffered a huge loss, and you're acting like it's business as usual."

"I'm acting like I've got a job to do," he counters, grabbing a couple of wipes and moving to the kitchen table.

She follows right behind, "Harvey if you don't grieve him-"

"I will grieve my father in my own way," he cuts her off, cleaning off the table in front of Rosie's seat which is covered in crumbs.

"No, you won't," she argues. "You'll bottle it up, and you'll try to move on, but…"

He looks up at her when she trails off, hand falling slack on the table, "She's gonna be there, Donna."

"I know she is," she says softly, eyes meeting his with intensity and a look that tells him the only reason she's pushing so hard is that she wants what she thinks is best for him. "But this funeral isn't about her. And it's not about you. It's about your dad. The man you love more than pretty much anyone in the entire world. And if you don't say goodbye to him, you're gonna regret that for the rest of your life."

He sighs, eyes dropping away from hers, already knowing she's won. But what he says is, "I'm gonna put Rosie to bed now."

She says nothing, though he can feel her eyes follow him until he's no longer in her line of sight.

He laughs as soon as he walks through the bathroom door. Rosie is covered head to toe in bubbles and sporting a full beard of them while floating a little plastic boat around that holds two naked Barbie dolls.

"I really like that look for you," he says, moving to sit on the closed toilet so that he's closer to her eye level.

Rosie giggles, "You should try it."

Harvey momentarily contemplates refusing, but concedes anyways, "Hit me."

He leans his head down so that she can reach, and Rosie drops the boat in order to grab a handful of bubbles and smear them across his face.

"So?" he asks. "What do you think?"

"You look silly!" says Rosie.

"So that's a no to growing a real beard, then?" he questions.

She shakes her head, "Beards are prickly and itch when you give kisses."

"Well then that's a no for sure," he nods emphatically. Wiping off his face, he angles himself to reach for a towel from the cabinet under the sink. "Alright, Shortstop. Time for bed."

She grunts but offers no protest, letting him drain the water and scoop her up into the towel with a playful "woosh," and a little tickling that makes her laugh, showing off that smile of hers he adores so much. He wonders briefly how he could possibly make it through such an awful situation without her and knows how grateful he is that he doesn't have to.

Once she's all dried off and dressed in dry pajamas, teeth and hair brushed and tucked snuggly under the covers, he swipes a hand softly over her head and takes a step back.

"We need to have a little chat, you and me," he says.

"Bout what?" she asks, head tilted adorably to the side.

"Well," he begins, sliding onto the end of the bed. "I'm gonna go to Boston for a little while."

"Why?"

"They're having a funeral for my dad on Tuesday. Do you know what that means?"

Rosie shakes her head.

"It's where all the family of someone who dies goes to the place where they bury him, and they talk about all the things they loved about him, and how they're going to miss him. And then we get to say goodbye."

"Oh," says Rosie. "And...it's in Boston? Where Marcus lives?"

Harvey nods, somewhat surprised she remembers where his brother lives.

"Are you gonna be gone a long time?" Rosie wonders, frown appearing on her face.

"Not too long," he promises. "Only a for a day. I promise you'll barely notice I'm gone, and I'll be home in time for dinner."

Rosie pouts. "But I always come to the office on Tuesdays."

Harvey smiles, "I know. I'm sorry, Shortstop."

"It's okay. Maybe I can play with Jessica," Rosie sighs, brightening a little.

Harvey smiles, "Maybe. You like playing in Jessica's office."

"Yeah," Rosie nods. "And I think you should go say bye to your dad."

"I think so too," Harvey agrees. "You'll be okay without me for a while, and I'll come straight back here when I get home."

"Good."

"Did you know," Harvey begins, grabbing her hand, "that when you were just a year old, I had to go on a business trip to Chicago, and I was gone for a week?"

Rosie's eyes go wide, "A whole week? That's a long time."

"It was. I missed you so much that I called every single night. You couldn't say much back then, but you could say my name. And your mom said you'd get this big smile on your face when you heard my voice. It was my favorite part of every day while I was gone."

"Yeah," says Rosie. "That's because you and me are best friends."

"We sure are," Harvey agrees with a kiss to her head. "Now it's time for bed, I'm afraid. I may not see you tomorrow, but I'll make sure I stop by before you leave for school on Tuesday to tell you bye, okay?"

Rosie nods, "Can you sing the Love Song before you go?"

"Of course," he replies instantly. "But you have to sing it with me."

"Okay," Rosie agrees instantly.

"Okay," Harvey repeats. Then, "'L' is for the way you look at me."

"'O.'" Rosie pipes up.

"Is for the only one I see," he adds, humming softly.

"'V!'"

"Is very, very, _extra_-ordinary," here he tickles her enough to make her squeal. "'E' is even more than-"

"Anyone that you adore can…love!"

"Is all that I can give to you."

"Love!"

"Is more than just a game for two," he holds up two fingers, and she mirrors this, having been doing so now for years.

"Two in love can make it," Rosie sings.

"Take my heart and please don't break it."

"Love."

"Was made," he points to himself, then Rosie as they sing the last part together.

"For me and you."

By the time they've finished their song, they're wearing twin smiles, and Harvey can practically feel the load on his chest lifting the slightest bit, at least enough for him to breathe.

"Goodnight, Shortstop," he tells her with a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, Harvey," she whispers back, snuggling down under her blanket, reaching to grab the little stuffed lion she sleeps with every night.

Harvey turns off her light as he leaves the room, heading back into the living room where Donna is seated flipping through channels on the TV.

"I told her," he says softly, unwilling to explicitly admit that she was right, but also needing her to know he was giving in.

"Good," is all Donna says in response. "You heading home now?"

"Yeah."

She turns to look at him, eyes searching his deeply.

"Okay," she finally murmurs. "See you Monday."

Harvey nods, grabbing his jacket from the hook, and leaves without another word. A part of him was hoping she'd extend an invitation for the following day, but the other part of him knows it isn't up to her and Rosie to bear his grief, and nor would he expect them to. Their company was a welcome relief, but sooner or later, he's going to have to pick himself up, and he might as well start doing it right away.

Sunday passes with little to no significance at all, and the firm is busy enough on Monday to keep him distracted, but come Tuesday morning, he finds himself in full panic mode, unsure exactly what to expect when he arrives in Boston. As promised, he's at Donna's apartment by 7:00 to say goodbye. Rosie's morning routine is not something he has ever experienced in its entirety, and he can't help but smile as he watches her bouncing around the apartment, enthusiastically preparing for her day while Donna struggles to keep up with her energy. Being a morning person is definitely not a trait she inherited from her mother.

Rosie has always been somewhat of a fashion icon in Harvey's opinion. That she gets from her mother, but it's never exactly what you'd imagine from a four-year-old who dresses herself. Today, she skips into the kitchen dressed in navy blue shorts over hot pink, ankle-length tights, a white sweater tucked into the shorts that bunches a little at the collar, and a khaki jacket which falls just below the inseam of her shorts. Her strawberry blonde hair is braided and pulled over the side of one shoulder, and she's carrying a pair of white hightops in her hands. Harvey shakes his head at her, wondering just exactly how she manages to be so put-together when he struggles just finding ties that match on his best day, but he knows every last bit of it is Donna.

"I need help," she says, approaching him and handing over the shoes. "Can't tie 'em."

"Mommy can't do it?"

Rosie shakes her head, "Mommy can't find _her_ shoes."

Harvey can't help the small chuckle that escapes him, but he lifts her up into his lap with a grunt and plops her down on one leg. One at a time, he shoves her little feet into the shoes and helps her lace them up expertly, earning him a thumbs up in approval.

"There," he says.

"I'm all ready, Mommy!" she shouts towards the hallway.

Donna enters a few seconds later, hopping on one foot while trying to shove the other into her slip-on stiletto, almost falling over in the process.

"Don't tell me you need help too?" Harvey smirks at her and is rewarded with an eye roll.

"I've got it, thanks," she retorts just as she manages to slip her foot into the shoe. She uses the back of the couch for balance to put on the other one and then grabs her purse off of the coffee table.

Rosie hops down from Harvey's lap, "Mommy, my head hurts."

"I'm sorry, baby," says Donna sympathetically as her daughter approaches. "Maybe you just didn't sleep well last night. It should feel better soon."

Rosie nods, always completely accepting of everything her mother says as the entire truth.

"Alright," Harvey raises himself up from the chair to join them in the foyer. "Time for me to head out."

Rosie immediately abandons her mother to throw herself at him. He crushes her against his chest, bending over so that she's laying horizontally while he smothers her with kisses. She giggles at his antics but does nothing to dissuade him from continuing for a couple more seconds before he drops her back onto her feet.

"Bye, Shortstop," he tells her with a little tug of her braid. "Have fun with Jessica today, and make sure you give Louis lots of trouble for me.

"I will," she smiles back, and Harvey sees Donna shaking her head at them from the corner of his eye.

He stands back up straight and reaches for his coat, pausing to squeeze Donna's shoulder for a second.

"You're gonna be fine," she tells him, then moves her hands to fix the knot in his tie which is just a millimeter off center. "Call me when you land?"

He nods once, she drops her hands, and with one more wink at Rosie, he exits into the hallway.

When he lands in Boston, he's only got thirty minutes until the service starts, so he grabs a coffee and heads straight to the cemetery. His meeting with Marcus goes about as well as he expected with a hug and a brief exchange, but as soon as his mother appears, the telltale signs of anxiety start to hit, and he barely remembers snapping at her before walking off angrily to escape any further interaction. Her speech doesn't take that anxiety away, if anything it makes it worse, and he hates being so vulnerable in front of people he considers to be the opposition, especially when it comes to her, but that doesn't stop Marcus from trying to get him to stay.

"Come on, Harvey," he urges. "Come to the house for the wake."

He knows. He knows that he should. He knows he's letting her get to him, and he hates it.

"I've got a few things I've got to take care of at work," Harvey argues.

"Come on, Harvey. You're not leaving because of work."

Harvey tries again.

"I'm supposed to have dinner at Donna's tonight. I told Rosie I'd be home in time."

But even as he says it, he can hear Donna's voice in the back of his head telling him not to worry about them, and it makes his argument futile at best. There's a part of him that really does just want to go back home to Rosie, but something inside is telling him there's something about his situation that's entirely too messed up and that it has a lot to do with his unresolved issues with his mother. A small feeling that he isn't yet ready to acknowledge, even to himself, knows it's true, knows what it could have meant for him if he'd confronted those issues five years sooner, but he hadn't. And now his life is this, this mess of constantly wanting and not knowing what or being almost but not enough, and he's sick of it.

As soon as he's in the cab, he makes the call, knowing if he waits for even a second longer, he's bound to change his mind.

"Harvey Specter's office," her voice says through the phone, and he wonders for a second why she's answering like that until he remembers this office doesn't have his cell number.

"Donna, it's me," he tells her, knowing she'll recognize his voice.

"Harvey, hey. Are you almost here?" she asks. "Because your 6:00 is in the conference room."

"I'm not back in New York yet," he sighs. "You were right, Donna."

"About what?"

"If I'd missed his funeral, I never would be able to forgive myself."

He hears her sigh, the kind of sigh he knows well enough to imagine is accompanied by a soft smile, and then she says, "Good luck making up with your mom."

"How did you know?" he asks, though he really shouldn't be surprised.

"Because you've never missed a flight in your entire life," she tells him pointedly. "And the only reason you'd stay longer is if things were going better than you thought they would."

"Thanks, Donna," he murmurs sincerely, not needing to specify what exactly he means.

"I don't need your thanks, Harvey. I'm just really happy you're there."

"I'm going to have to miss dinner," he reminds her. "Rosie's gonna hate me."

"She could never," Donna assures him, laugh in her voice that allows him to breathe deeply for the first time since he left for the airport. "Tomorrow night instead?"

"It's a date," he agrees and then hangs up without another word.

Twenty minutes later finds him anxiously shuffling through the crowd of people gathered inside the house. He can't bring himself to do more than simply nod at a few familiar faces, too worried about the confrontation he's about to have. He ends up starting with some frivolous small talk about strawberry pie and the speech she gave, which really was nice, and all of the sudden things start getting too emotional too fast, and he's feeling tears that he hates, hates, _hates_, and then there's _him_. That man that tried to step in and take his father's place and all he can think is his mother had the audacity to bring that man here today of all days. The anger that bursts out of him afterward isn't something he wants to control. He just lets himself explode, not bothering to care who gets caught in the crossfire, and runs out the second he has the chance without even the slightest glance back

He gets to the airport around 6:45 and decides to call Donna again. It goes straight to voicemail, so he assumes she's probably eating dinner and leaves her a short message.

"Hey, it's me again. Turns out I'm coming home tonight after all. Things didn't exactly go as planned, and I know you'll want details, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. See you at the office."

He has to wait around for an hour until a flight opens up, and Donna never does call. He hadn't really said for her to, of course, but he'd expected it anyways. When he's sitting on the plane, ready to board at 8:30, he considers calling again but doesn't. If she tries to get him and can't, she'll know he's still in the air. When the plane lands, he immediately goes to check for messages. It's not odd to go this long without getting at least a text back from her during the workday, but she should definitely be home, Rosie fast asleep by now, and the fact that she hasn't even thought to check in on him makes him the slightest bit nervous. He finally breaks down, deciding to call again. The phone rings and rings and he's about to give up hope of her answering when suddenly the line goes silent and then he hears her voice.

"I am _this_ close to losing it," Donna breathes into the phone, voice strained and saturated in that tone he knows means she's on the verge of tears. The sound of Rosie screaming in the background is also immediately evident, and it's the kind of hysterical screaming she doesn't do very often.

"What?" he asks immediately, concern peaking. "What happened? What's wrong? Is she okay?"

"She's got a fever," Donna explains, a bit breathless. "A bad one. And I don't know if it's making her hallucinate or what but she keeps screaming for me, and every time I try to go and calm her down she insists on me singing to her but I can't sing it the way you do, so that just causes a whole meltdown, and I cannot keep doing it, Harvey. I can't. I was trying so hard to take care of it because I know you have a lot to deal with right now already, so I wasn't going to call, but then you did, and I just—"

"Hey!" he finally interrupts her. "You don't ever have to feel bad about asking me for help. You know that."

"Yes, but—"

"But nothing. Put me on speaker and take the phone in her room."

Seemingly following his instructions, he hears her shuffling around for a bit, and then the sound of Rosie's screaming gets louder, so he knows it's his cue.

"Rosie," Donna calls, trying to calm her enough to listen to what she has to say. "Listen. Harvey's on the phone for you."

The crying gets a bit quieter, but not much, so Harvey pipes up, "Hey, Shortstop."

He waits for a moment, listening as the screams become long shaky breaths and big sniffles.

"H-H-Harvey?" her little voice asks shakily.

"That's me," Harvey smiles to himself. "Not feeling too well, huh?"

"Uh-uh."

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I know it sucks, but you're my little trooper, remember? We're strong, and we can get through this just like we always do."

"B-But," Rosie stutters. "I...need...y-ou...h-here."

"I know," Harvey tells her, just as he reaches the airport entrance, stepping outside and hurriedly trying to flag down a cab. "And you know what? I'm on my way there right now, okay?"

"B-but you're in Boston," Rosie protests.

"Not anymore," he assures her, catching a cab. "I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise."

"O-k-kay."

"Can you give the phone back to Mommy for me, Rosie?"

He takes the break in the conversation to give his driver Donna's address.

"Harvey? What do you mean you're not in Boston?"

"Guess you didn't get my voicemail."

"I was too busy. I didn't really have a chance to-"

"It's fine," he shrugs her off. "We'll talk about it later. The important thing is that I'm on my way, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You really don't have to," she protests half-heartedly. "She's just being demanding."

"She's sick," Harvey argues. "Why didn't you tell me when I called earlier?"

"It wasn't bad then. Jenna said it was only a little bit of a fever. I knew you'd do something impulsive like fly back here, and you were so close to making up with your mom…"

"I take it it's gotten worse since then?"

"Her fever spiked," Donna says softly. "It's at 102, and it's too late to take her to her pediatrician but the E.R. is just going to freak her out, so I thought if we could at least make it until the morning...but now she can't sleep for more than thirty minutes at a time, and she wants me to sing your song, but keeps insisting I'm not doing it right, and I'm so worried about her, but I also just want to slap her. Harvey, it's a mess. A complete mess."

"It's okay," he tells her, voice softening as much as possible. "This is the first time she's ever had a huge fever like this, and you're not used to it."

"I can't even take care of my own kid, Harvey," she whispers. "I thought I was going to be able to handle this single mom thing, but what does it say about me that when she gets a fever, the only person she wants is you?"

"Donna..."

"This isn't working, Harvey," she sighs, and it's exhaustion and defeat and anguish all in one.

"What do you mean, it isn't working?" he asks, feeling slightly panicked. "It's our thing, Donna. It's not normal, and it's weird, but it's our thing. This is who we are."

"Well maybe it shouldn't be anymore," she tells him almost bitterly. "You said you couldn't be a father for her, said you didn't know how, and I respected that. I've tried giving you as many liberties as our situation could allow, but now it's too much. She may not call you Dad, but she thinks of you as her father, and if you can't own up to the title on your own, then I can't let her keep seeing you that way."

Harvey sucks in a breath, "So what are you saying? I just can't see her anymore?"

"I'd never tell you that. You're too much a part of each other's lives for me to ever come between what you have, and I wouldn't want to. But we've got to start drawing some lines."

He wants to argue. Wants to tell her she's wrong about Rosie thinking of him as her father. Wants, even, to give her exactly what she's really asking for, which is for him to just _be_ her father. But he can't. He ran at the first chance of mending things with his past today, and they both deserve better than the man he has to offer them right now. So he doesn't.

"Okay," he whispers, tears in his eyes for the third time today, which has to be some sort of personal record. "Okay, Donna. If that's what's best for her, then it's what needs to be done."

"Thank you, Harvey."

She doesn't sound very thankful at all.

"You can still come by tonight," she tells him. "You already promised her you would, so…"

"I'll be there in ten minutes tops."

When he gets there, Rosie's still crying. It's not as bad as before, but her pain is evident in her eyes, and he can't possibly help himself from scooping her up into his arms. He holds her tightly to his chest, singing their song softly with his lips pressed close to her ears. She falls asleep like that, and too afraid of waking her, he stays put for a while longer, relaxing to the sound of her deep, even breaths. Though she can't hear him, he makes sure to tell her he loves her before sliding her onto her pillow. He gives her a kiss on her forehead, and stops at the door to stare for only a moment longer, thinking this feels a lot less like a good night and a lot more like a goodbye.

**So as you may or may not have gathered from this chapter, this story is basically going to follow along with canon except for the addition of this sweet little girl. This chapter was pretty Rosie and Harvey heavy, but I promise there is more Darvey moments coming, and Mike and Rachel too of course!**


	3. Euphor

**Well, this took, like, forever. But here it is in all its glory. I struggled for a while for a plot for this one, so I hope I did well enough. I Have most of the other chapters pretty well planned out, and more motivation to get them done, so hopefully there won't be as much of a wait on those. Hope you enjoy :)**

"_Leak, seal, euphor lost_

_Bleak, heal, you forewarn"  
_

"Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry," the man who'd just walked past Donna's desk turns back to face her with a confused look. "I was just looking for Harvey Specter's office. This is it, right?"

"Yes," she drawls.

The man stares back at her, "Okay, well, I'm just gonna…"

He trails off, pointing towards the glass doors.

"Not so fast," Donna calls out, stopping him just as he turns, and making him spin back around again, slightly frustrated. "Your name?"

"Mike Ross," he offers. "I'm his new associate."

"I know," Donna smirks. "But just because you're our newest hotshot graduate doesn't mean you can just waltz right into the office of a senior partner on your own."

Mike's eyes widen slightly.

"Let's get one thing straight between you and me," she adds. "I'm Harvey's assistant, Donna, and I take my job very seriously. No one gets to see Harvey without going through me first. Got it?"

Mike nods, "Got it."

There's a long pause during which she feels him trying to read her sincerity, and thanks to her finely tuned acting skills, she's pretty positive she doesn't give too much away. Mike, slightly frightened, backs away, moving towards Harvey's office cautiously, as though too much movement would disturb her.

"Enjoy your first day!" she calls after him in an overly chirpy voice.

She presses the button on the intercom, watching Mike and listening through the phone as he jumps.

"Hello," says the head that pops up from behind Harvey's desk.

Mike doesn't waste a second before bolting back out the door and looking directly at Donna.

"There's...there's a child in there," he points to the offending party with slight terror on his face.

"Yes," Donna nods. "There is."

He shifts his gaze back to said child, then back to Donna, as though confused that she hadn't had a different response to his declaration. She sees the confusion turn into slight understanding, and then, wide-eyed and still at a loss, Mike retreats back into Harvey's office. Donna can't help the smirk that takes over her face as she continues listening in.

"I take it you come here often?" Mike asks awkwardly, and Donna has to keep herself from snorting into the phone. "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

"Am I supposed to know who _you_ are?" the child counters, eyebrows raised.

"Touche," Mike nods. "I'm Mike Ross, Harvey's new associate."

"Oh," a look of understanding dawn's on the kid's face. "So _you're_ the new guy."

"Yep," Mike nods, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Would you mind telling me your name now?"

"I'm Rosalind Paulsen," she replies, offering forward a hand to shake his. "But most people just call me Rosie."

"Rosie," Mike nods, accepting her hand. "Nice name."

"Thanks," she smiles. "Sorry I scared you earlier, but my mom likes having fun with the newbies."

"Your mom?" Mike asks, but before Rosie can respond, Donna watches the realization dawn on him. "Oh, your mom is Donna."

"Yeah."

"So all that stuff she said to me out there, that was a joke, right?" Mike asks.

"Oh no," Rosie shakes her head. "She doesn't joke about her job, but she's not as mean as she sounds, I promise."

Mike nods, looking relieved, "Good."

Donna watches with amusement as her daughter and Mike continue to chat mindlessly, smiling even when Mike makes her laugh once. Before long, Harvey comes walking up, looking slightly irritated, though when he catches sight of the scene in his office he offers her a signature smirk.

"I take it you got him?"

Donna shakes her head, turning back to her computer, "Always the tone of surprise."

Just as quickly as it appeared, though, the smirk is gone, and he walks into his office before she has a chance to ask why.

"Rosie," he greets softly. "I need to have a word here with my associate. You mind stepping out for a bit? Maybe Rachel will let you play with her lipstick."

"Okay!" Rosie agrees brightly. "See you later, Mike."

A few weeks go by, and every Tuesday at 3:30 when Donna comes back to the office from picking up Rosie, she gets a little whine about how Harvey is too busy "playing with Mike to notice me anymore." Donna reminds her continuously that Harvey isn't required to give Rosie his undivided attention, and only did so previously because he could, but that now he's busy training an associate and he has to spend more time with Mike. Every time this lecture is met with a pout and an eye roll before Rosie stomps into Harvey's office and flops down on the couch bitterly. If Harvey notices the change in the girl's attitude, he certainly doesn't let on. He and Mike have been especially busy the last couple of days with a case that she knows little to nothing about in all actuality, considering she attempted to get the details from listening in on one of their conversations and found herself bored half to death.

Today, however, is the fourth Tuesday since Mike's arrival, and Rosie is at peak grumpiness. For the past two days she's been whiny and clingy and all other sorts of things that children become when they're moody, and on top of that, today she's complained no less than seventy times that her stomach is hurting.

"Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?" Donna asks her bitterly as they get out of the elevator.

"No," Rosie grumbles, dragging her feet and falling behind as they turn the corner.

"I told you not to eat all of that ice cream. You know how it bothers you. But of course you didn't listen to me, and now I have to sit here and listen to you complain about it for the rest of the day."

"It's not the ice cream," Rosie grumbles.

Donna turns back to her, eyebrows raised, "How would you know?"

"I know what it feels like when I eat too much ice cream," she tells her mother. "This is different."

"Different how?" Donna asks, slightly intrigued.

Rosie shrugs, "I dunno. And it was hurting yesterday too. Before the ice cream."

Donna shakes her head, too annoyed right now to give it much thought, "It's probably just a bug or something. Go take a nap on the couch."

"I don't _wanna_ take a nap," Rosie starts in on the whining again.

They reach Donna's desk, and she throws herself into the chair with a groan and an exaggerated toss of her head backward, "Why don't you go complain to Harvey about it, then? Because I don't know what else to tell you, and I'm sure he'll have more sympathy for you than I do right about now."

"No he won't," Rosie grumbles. "He's too busy with _Mike_."

"Rosie," Donna sighs. "How many times are we going to do this?"

The girl shrugs, but offers no other response, looking down at her feet with a slight pout.

"You can either go take a nap on the couch, or sit here and play on the iPad quietly, but either way, I do still have to work, and I can't deal with your complaining, so if you're going to keep on with it, I suggest you take it to someone who _hasn't_ been dealing with it all day."

About an hour later, Donna gets a random phone call from one of her old college roommates, saying she's in town for a few days and would love to grab dinner, but tonight is her only free night while she's here. With a glance at Harvey's office, where Rosie is sitting on the couch with an apple and a grumpy look on her face, Donna regretfully realizes there's no way she'd be able to make dinner. Just as she's finishing up the phone call, Harvey rounds the corner, motioning for her to join him in his office.

He gives her some paperwork that has to be sent downstairs before his next appointment and then asks her to make a couple calls for him, but just as she's about to reach the door he calls her back.

"Who was that on the phone?" he asks.

"Just a friend," she shrugs. "Why?"

"No reason," he says, eyes on his desk. "Just that it sounded like you were canceling plans."

She rolls her eyes, "It wasn't a date, Harvey, if that's what you're asking."

"I wasn't!" he says almost too quickly, but he's meeting her gaze now, so she knows that was the response he was looking for.

"Well would it make you feel better if I told you it was my roommate from college, Helen?"

"I really couldn't care less, Donna."

"Then why'd you ask?" she teases, eyebrow raised, enjoying watching him squirm a little.

"I just...I don't know. I was curious. You seemed upset."

"I wasn't upset, Harvey. I was disappointed because I have to miss out on a chance to see her, but it's not a big deal or anything."

"Seemed like it. You've had these plans for a while? If it's something work-related, I can try and rearrange something, or-"

"Harvey," she cuts him off, "it's really not a big deal. It was last minute. She called to say she was in town for a few days, and she's free tonight if I wanted to grab dinner and catch up, but obviously, I can't, so I told her that, and that was the end of it. Honestly."

"You mean because of Rosie?"

"Well, yeah."

"Let her stay here," Harvey says as if this is nothing. "We've got court tomorrow, and there's still a lot I have to do, so I'll be awhile. You can come back and get her when you're done."

"Harvey-"

"Can I, Mom?"

Having forgotten entirely that Rosie was even in the room, Donna isn't expecting that little voice to pipe up. She whips her head around to face her daughter.

"Please?" Rosie begs.

"I don't know that that's such a great idea."

"Donna, come on," Harvey prods. "Go tell Helen you're free after all. You deserve a break every now and then."

She can't argue with that logic. She has had quite the draining day, especially with all of Rosie's grumbling, and the thought of being able to escape that for even a few hours does seem nice. And she really hates to miss a chance to see her friend.

"Okay, fine," she concedes.

"Yay!" Rosie cheers.

"Good," Harvey nods. "I'll tell Mike we'll be having a guest tonight."

Donna watches as the smile on Rosie's face instantly disappears at the mention of Mike's name. She must've been under the impression that it was just going to be her and Harvey tonight, and the thought makes Donna feel slightly bad for her, though not bad enough to change her mind. She seriously needs a break.

She leaves to call Helen back, and finds that the rest of the afternoon passes fairly quickly, considering how the first half had dragged on so slowly. Soon enough it's time for her to head out, but of course, she can't leave without checking on Harvey and Rosie once more.

She opens the door to his office, coat in hand.

"Okay," she announces. "I'm leaving for dinner. If anyone needs me, I'll be at Eleven Madison Park, eating French food and definitely _not_ thinking about either of you."

This earns a chuckle from Harvey, but Rosie barely pays her any mind, too engrossed in whatever it is she's watching on her iPad to give her mother any attention.

"Bye," Donna says, placing a kiss on her forehead anyways.

"Bye," Rosie says very unenthusiastically, eyes still trained on the screen.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours," Donna promises Harvey as she slips her coat on.

"Take your time," he says with a smirk. "We'll be here."

They've been through with dinner for a long while when Donna notices a familiar face rush in the door.

"Miss Paulsen," Ray says as he rushes up to their table.

"Ray, what are you doing here?" she asks, taking in the look on his face. "Is everything alright?"

"Miss Paulsen, I've got to take you with me," he tells her. "Mr. Specter sent me to come and find you because you wouldn't answer the phone. They had to take Rosie to the hospital. Mr. Ross says she's got appendicitis."

The sound of her fork smashing against her plate makes Helen jump, but Donna hardly notices.

"She...Ray...is she alright?"

"I don't know, Miss," he shakes his head. "I've been trying to find you for a little while now, but they took her to Mount Sinai."

She nods, getting up in a haze, and barely registering Helen when she expresses her concern and asks for Donna to let her know how Rosie's doing. The drive to the hospital is excruciating, to say the least. Her mind is going crazy with worry, drawing to the forefront everything she knows about appendicitis. _If her appendix ruptures, she can _die, is the one thought that keeps playing itself on repeat. And Rosie had been complaining about a stomach ache for how long now? The longer it's been, the higher the risk, right?

When they get to the emergency room, she spots Mike and Harvey immediately. Mike is seated in one of the chairs, jiggling his leg in agitation, while Harvey paces back and forth in front of the bathroom door.

"Thank goodness," Mike says when he sees her.

Harvey jerks his head around to see her, and the second their eyes meet, she's launching herself forward and into his arms.

"She's okay," he whispers into her ear. "We caught it soon enough. Everything is going to be okay."

"Are you sure?" Donna manages to choke out amongst the tears that threaten.

"She's in surgery right now," is all he says in response, which she knows to mean that he isn't sure, but that the doctors are doing the best they can.

"My phone died," she tells them as they break their embrace and he guides her over to a small sofa just across from Mike's seat.

"It's okay," he promises. "That's what we have Ray for."

Ray smiles over at them from his place at the entrance to the waiting room.

"Thank you, Ray," Harvey tells him. "You can go on home, now. Sorry again for all the trouble."

"No trouble, Mr. Specter," Ray promises with a shake of his head. "Would you mind letting me know when she's out of surgery? I'll sleep better knowing everything's alright."

"Of course," Harvey promises. "Goodnight, Ray."

"Goodnight, Mr. Specter."

With that, Ray sees himself out of the building.

"He's really very fond of Rosie, you know," Harvey says to Donna. "She likes to tell him stories, and makes me bring him treats."

His attempt at a distraction does nothing to ease her worry, but she gives him a half-smile to show she appreciates the effort.

"Mike," Harvey calls, turning his attention to the man across from them. He slips his wallet out of his pocket and holds out a couple of bills. "Go and grab Donna a bottle of water from somewhere, would you?"

"Sure thing," Mike nods, taking the cash and wandering down the hall in search of a vending machine.

They sit for a moment in total silence, just the two of them. Donna still feels a bit in shock and not exactly sure what to say, so she doesn't say anything at all. Not until Harvey turns to look at her with that all too familiar grimace on his face.

"So," he begins rather slowly. "We may have a bit of a problem."

She stiffens, "What kind of problem?"

"Mike knows," is all he says in response, but he doesn't need to elaborate further.

"How-"

"He was standing right next to me when the doctor started asking questions. They wanted to do the surgery as soon as possible but needed a parent or legal guardian to give the okay. Mike kept telling them her mom was on the way, but I didn't know that for sure, so I had to tell them. He thought I was lying to them. He asked me why I did it, and then I just told him the truth."

She meets his eyes, but can't bring herself to respond. It's a lot to take in on top of the night she's had, so she's grateful when he starts talking again instead of waiting for a reply. He explains, without her prompting, just exactly how they'd figured out what was going on with Rosie, and the events that had led him from a shockingly boring night in his office to the most terrified he's ever been in his life, sitting in this waiting room.

"_Okay," Mike huffs with a look at his watch, "it is officially 9:00 PM, and I am officially over this."_

"_We've still got three more of these," Harvey reminds him, dropping another manilla folder in front of him unenthusiastically._

_Mike groans, "I cannot possibly read one more page. I think my eyes are just gonna stop working."_

_Harvey rolls his eyes, but sighs tiredly, "Let's just power through and be done with it."_

"_You say that, but-"_

_He's interrupted by a groan from the other side of the room._

_Both men look over at the couch where Rosie is laying with an iPad in her hands and earbuds running from the device to her tiny ears. Her face, Harvey notices, has gone very pale from the last time he looked over at her._

"_Rosie," he calls, loud enough that she can hear him over whatever video she has playing in front of her. "Are you okay?"_

"_My tummy still hurts," she mumbles. "And it's getting worse."_

"_It's getting worse?" Harvey repeats, something inside him beginning to worry the slightest bit._

"_Uh huh," she nods._

_Rationally, he knows a stomach ache can be signs of many things, mostly harmless, but he also knows that it can be the beginning sign of many other very _harmful _things, and the parent in him is starting to panic._

"_Can you try and explain to me exactly how it feels?" he asks, standing to move over to the couch. "Is it a really sharp pain? Or more like a cramp?"_

"_I don't know," she tells him, grimacing._

"_Well sharp pain is kind of like a jab," he tells her, demonstrating by jabbing his own fingers into his abdomen. "A cramp is like, someone is holding your stomach and twisting it real tight."_

_Rosie considers this for a moment, "I think it's the first one."_

_This does nothing to ease Harvey's concern._

"_Rosie," Mike cuts in from his place still at the desk. "Is it hurting, like, all the time? Or just every now and then?"_

"_All the time," she says, "but every now and then it gets...worse."_

_She gasps out the last word, having seemingly experienced another jarring bout of pain._

_Mike gets up from the desk, crossing over to them in a few quick strides._

"_I'm gonna try something, and it might hurt a little bit, but I want to see if I can figure out what's going on here, okay?"_

_Rosie looks to Harvey, eyes wide, and he gives her an encouraging nod. _

"_Okay," she says to Mike._

_Mike flattens his hand, then places it just to the right of where Harvey imagines her belly button to be, then he digs his fingers in somewhat roughly. Expecting Rosie to cry out in pain, or at least wince, Harvey watches with surprise as she remains expressionless. _

_With his hand still pressed against her, Mike asks, "Does this make it hurt anymore?"_

_Rosie shakes her head but says nothing._

_It's then that Mike removes his hand, and immediately is met with a whimper and gasp of pain. Harvey looks to him then, trying to understand exactly what he's doing, and finds himself growing even more worried when he sees the look on Mike's face. The younger man then lifts his hand to Rosie's forehead, feeling it with both the front and back of his palm._

"_She's warm," is all he says._

"_You think she has a fever?" Harvey asks immediately._

"_Maybe," Mike replies._

_He stands up abruptly and walks back over to the desk before motioning Harvey to join him, who follows, though he's reluctant to leave Rosie's side._

"_What is it?"_

"_I don't want to scare her, so stay calm."_

"_Yeah, that's really what I want to hear right now," Harvey deadpans, his concern growing now by the second._

_Mike takes a deep breath, and then without hesitation, says, "There's a pretty good chance she's in the early stages of appendicitis."_

_Harvey feels himself go instantly numb, "Are you sure?"_

"_I could be wrong, but I read the symptoms once, and she's checking all the boxes so far. The good thing is, she's not throwing up yet, so she hasn't hit the severity of pain she could be in, and it should give us plenty of time to get her to the hospital before it gets that bad. But we need to move quick, Harvey. If we wait too long-"_

"_It can rupture," Harvey finishes for him. "I know. It almost happened to me as a kid. I was her age, maybe even younger, so I don't really remember much."_

"_It's going to be okay," Mike assures him. "I think we've caught it soon enough that it shouldn't be an issue."_

_Harvey nods, but he glances over at Rosie again, finds her having abandoned the iPad entirely and curled up into herself on the couch._

"_I'll call Ray. I don't want to take my chances with a cab. You call Donna and tell her to meet us at Mount Sinai."_

"_Got it," says Mike, and grabs his cell phone, quickly searching for Donna's number._

_Harvey steps out of the room to call Ray, quickly apologizing for the late hour, and explaining the situation, which has his driver rushing to meet them as soon as possible. When he comes back into his office, he sees Mike throwing his phone down on the desk angrily._

"_I called three times in a row and got sent straight to voicemail," he tells Harvey. "Either her phone is off, it's dead, or she has no service, but I can't get her."_

"_Call the restaurant then," Harvey suggests._

"_And what restaurant would that be exactly?"_

_Harvey opens his mouth to shoot off an answer, but freezes. He has no idea. She'd said somewhere on Madison, hadn't she? He wracks brain for fancy restaurants on Madison, but he's at a loss._

"_I...I don't know," he sighs, his heart pounding. "A French place on Madison? Or maybe she said Italian...I don't really remember."_

"_Harvey," Mike groans._

"_I didn't think it was important at the time!"_

"_Well, look it up!"_

"_Does it look like we have time for that right now?"_

"_We can't just take her kid to the hospital by ourselves."_

"_Yes we can," Harvey assures him. "We're going to have to. Look, I'll send Ray to look for Donna, and we'll just take a cab, I guess."_

"_I thought you didn't trust a cab."_

"_I don't, but it's not like I can tell a stranger to go find my assistant at a nameless French restaurant on Madison Avenue."_

"_Yeah, okay," Mike concedes. "Let's just get a move on then."_

_By the time Harvey has gently explained the situation to Rosie in a way that would keep her informed without scaring her too much, she seems to be in a great deal more pain. He has to carry her to the elevator with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck while she lays her head on his shoulder. Once they're outside, Mike gives Ray as much information about Donna's location as they have, and Harvey grabs a cab. The two men hop inside, working as a team to get Rosie from Harvey's arms into her seat and strapped in without causing her too much pain. It's then, with them all buckled and finally moving, that she starts crying. Whether it's more to do with the pain or with the situation in its entirety, Harvey isn't quite sure. But he finds himself gently rubbing her face while singing her their song in the best impersonation of Nat King Cole he can muster, which earns a chuckle from Mike._

_From the second they enter the emergency room, everything passes in a blur. People asking him questions that he spouts off answers to like it's second nature while Mike watches in awe. Rosie throwing up in the waiting room bathroom with Mike holding her hair back while Harvey yells at someone to hurry up. The nurses arriving to take her back to find out what's happening and the look of horror on her face at the thought of leaving his side. The doctors confirming that it is, in fact, appendicitis and that they need to move her into surgery as soon as possible. The surgeons asking for parental consent as a safety precaution, and Mike opening his mouth, probably to say something about it being emergency surgery and that it was unnecessary._

"_I'm her father," Harvey blurts out._

_And once again it's a flurry of movement. And he has to speak to her one more time before they put her under because she's so scared, even though she's really too out of it to know what's happening by this point, but he does. He holds her little hand right in his and tells her that everything is going to be okay soon. At least, that's what he tells himself as he watches them wheel her into the operating room and out of his sight._

"Harvey," Donna murmurs once he's through. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Donna. It's not like I would've let anything happen to her."

"No, I know," she sighs. "I meant for the way you handled everything."

"Oh," he smiles softly. "Well, we know how I perform best under pressure."

It's enough to make her smile back at him, but the silence that stretches afterward only reminds her that the reason he had to do any of this at all is that she'd been so careless. She should have noticed the symptoms, she shouldn't have brushed Rosie off earlier, she shouldn't have just pawned her kid off on someone else, and she certainly never should've let her phone die knowing her kid was with someone else, even if that someone was Harvey.

"Hey," he says after a while. "None of this is your fault, you know."

Of course, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Harvey, but-"

"It's not," he interrupts. "There's no possible way you could have noticed any earlier than we did. Rosie's a drama queen, and everyone knows that. You thought she was just exaggerating. I mean, so did I for most of the day. Parents make mistakes sometimes. It's kinda what they're best at."

In her heart, she knows he's right, and for the millionth time in her life, she wonders what on Earth she and Rosie would do without him. Before she has the chance to say anything more, though, Mike appears, bottle of water in hand.

"For you," he says, holding it out for her to take, which she does with a soft smile.

"Thank you," she says.

"No problem," he smiles back.

"I don't just mean for the water, Mike," she clarifies. "I mean for-"

"Like I said," he shrugs. "No problem."

They sit, mostly in silence, for another half hour or so before a woman dressed in scrubs appears through the door.

"Mr. Specter?"

They all three rise at the sound of Harvey's name, but Harvey moves a step towards her.

"Yes?"

"Your daughter's surgery just finished," the woman tells him. "Everything went very well, and she's perfectly alright. She's awake now, but still a little out of it, so I expect she won't be awake for very long. If you'd like to see her, though, she's been moved to a recovery room."

"Yes," Harvey says immediately.

"We usually only allow two at a time," says the nurse.

"You guys go," says Mike. "I'll be right here."

Donna gives him a grateful smile, and mouths another quick thanks before following Harvey and the nurse down the hall. As they walk, she feels Harvey's hand come to rest on her back, giving it a reassuring rub. She leans into the touch a bit, seeking his comfort even as she knows everything is going to be just fine.

When they enter the room, Rosie is once again fast asleep. The nurse asks if they'd like to stay or go back to the waiting room until she wakes up, and they both assure her they'd like to stay. Harvey sends Mike a quick text telling him they might be a while and he should feel free to go home, but his only response is, "Cant. Watching Friends reruns on nick at nite." Donna chuckles when Harvey reads the response out loud.

"You know, he's alright for a fraud," she says as she rubs Rosie's hand with her thumb.

"We certainly know how to pick 'em," Harvey replies. "You know he isn't going to tell anyone, right?"

"I know."

It's nearly an hour and a half before Donna starts to feel Rosie stirring, but once she does, she's instantly on the edge of her seat. She watches as her daughter's eyes blink a couple of times before settling on her face.

"Momma?"

"I'm right here, baby," Donna scoots forward more, squeezing Rosie's hand tighter.

"What happened?" Rosie asks, eyes blinking again to adjust to the light as she starts to look around.

"We're at the hospital," Donna explains softly, running her other hand through her daughter's tangled, strawberry blonde locks. "You got sick, remember? Your stomach was hurting really badly, and Harvey and Mike brought you here. They had to take your appendix out."

"What's that?" Rosie's eyes widen in horror. "Am I gonna die?"

"No," Donna assures her. "No, you're perfectly alright now."

"I had to have my appendix taken out when I was your age," says Harvey as steps forward and into Rosie's sight.

"Harvey!" she cries.

"Hey, Shortstop," he whispers, placing a hand on her leg and giving it a gentle squeeze. "How you holdin' up?"

"I don't think my stomach hurts anymore," she replies.

"Good," he winks.

"Did you really have to have your 'pendis out just like me?" she asks, eyes wide.

"Sure did," he nods. "Now we can even have matching scars."

Rosie smiles but says nothing in response to that.

"Hey," Donna murmurs, bringing her daughter's attention back to her. "Mike's hanging out there. I think he'd really like to come and see you. Is that okay?"

Rosie nods.

"I'll go grab him," Harvey offers, giving Rosie one more smile and leg squeeze before leaving the room.

"Mom?" Rosie asks with a yawn.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I think Mike's pretty cool."

"Oh yeah?" Donna raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He can stick around for a while. I wouldn't mind."

"You know something, kiddo? I don't think I would either."

**That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for more. If you hate it, I apologize. I always hate my writing, so you're not alone.**


	4. Cavalry

**So this took a while, but at least it was way faster than the last update. Anyways, it's not much, but a chapter from Rosie's perspective this time, just to switch things up a little.**

"_I can't feel_

_The dawning of it all_

_Was it all gone all along?"_

"And then, he's like, 'I finally made it to my first day of class!' But then you see the cleaning man and he's like, 'The school year is over already!'"

Just as she finishes this, she starts laughing again.

"Best part of the whole movie," Mike says with a chuckle. "I learned from Marvel to never leave before the credits are over. Right, Rosie?"

"Right," Rosie agrees. "You sit back until the screen goes black."

"You got it, pal," Mike nods, holding his hand up for a high five, which she gives him.

"Sounds like you two had a good time then," her mom says with a little chuckle.

"The best!" Rosie agrees. "Next month we're gonna see Despicable Me 2."

"Oh, are you?" Donna raises her eyebrows.

"Uh huh. It was Mike's idea."

"You shouldn't spoil her," Donna says to Mike with a slight shake of her head.

"It's not for her," he says. "I'm going whether she comes with me or not, but I look less stupid when I've got a kid with me, so really it's for my benefit."

"See?" Rosie tells her mother, eyes wide.

The woman exchanges a look with Mike that Rosie can't exactly interpret, but she thinks means her mom doesn't believe him.

"Alright," Mike sighs. "It's dinner time, and I have some Chinese leftovers waiting for me at home, so I better get going."

"Bye, Mike!" Rosie runs to give him a hug, which he stoops down to accept.

"See ya, kiddo," he tells her with a little ruffle of her hair, and then he's out the door.

"So," Donna drawls once the door is shut behind him.

"_Soooo_," Rosie mocks, slipping off her shoes and flopping down onto the sofa.

"Your date with Mike went well," her mother gives her a little smirk.

Rosie feels her face go red, "Not a date, Mom. Don't say it like that."

Donna laughs, leaning forward to scoop her up and place her in her lap, "We still have a little while before dinner, what do you say you and I get around to that game of Candy Land I promised you last week?"

"You're on," Rosie agrees, scrunching up her face and narrowing her eyes at her mom. "I'm so gonna beat you this time."

"Oh yeah?" Donna challenges with an eyebrow raised. "What makes you so sure that's gonna happen?"

"It's gonna happen because I'm gonna make it happen," Rosie declares, jumping down to the floor and sauntering down the hall and into the dining room.

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"And I wonder who taught you that little philosophy," Donna chuckles as she digs through the closet for the board game.

"Harvey," Rosie replies immediately.

"Would've never guessed," is all her mother says in response.

The game unfolds with their typical ribbing and playfulness like always, but Rosie notices there's something off in the way her mother teases her, like the smile isn't just quite reaching her eyes. She wants to ask if something's wrong but remembers what she's always been told when she gets curious, and that's that sometimes adults go through things kids just can't understand, and she'd be better off not knowing the answers to her questions at all. By the time dinner rolls around, she's put her mother's demeanor to the back of her mind and finds herself dancing around her room to the soundtrack to _The Parent Trap_ for about the one-millionth time. She's always loved the songs, especially the one Harvey always sings to her, but there's something familiar in it that she always finds herself coming back to. Even at only seven years old, she knows there's something about music that speaks to her specifically in a way that other people just don't seem to understand. Harvey told her he was like that once, and she's never forgotten it.

She's just starting to get really invested in the chorus of "Here Comes the Sun," when she hears a little knock on her door. Before she can get the chance to turn off her iPod, the door creaks open and the intruder takes a step into the room.

"I thought I heard a party in here."

"Harvey," she laughs, slightly embarrassed by being caught, but excited nonetheless. There was a time, when she was much younger, that Harvey had dinner at their apartment every Tuesday, but she barely remembers that anymore. For a while now he's only been coming once every other month on Sundays, and she cherishes these nights immensely. Without school to keep her occupied during the summer months, her weeks seem to drag on endlessly, and she finds herself constantly craving his presence to add just a bit more excitement to her day.

"Spaghetti's ready," he says, moving forward to usher her out of the room.

During dinner she updates Harvey on her afternoon with Mike, making sure not to forget a single detail of the movie and the way he spilled all of his popcorn on the way to their seats. Harvey laughs, and her mother gives her an indulgent smile, seeing as she's heard everything already. She occupies most of the conversation, as per usual, something Donna used to scold her for, but seems to have stopped bothering recently, now that Harvey's time with just the two of them has become much more limited.

"How's work?" she finally asks once she's run out of other things to say.

Both her mother and Harvey grow uncharacteristically silent.

"Fine," they both reply simultaneously after a long pause, eyes trained on their empty plates.

"Oooookay," Rosie says, not buying that response at all, but knowing pressing them further won't lead to anything good. "Do you guys wanna play a game?"

Harvey looks up but catches no one's eye, instead focusing on the door behind Donna's head.

"I think I should get going, Shortstop," he says. "I've got an early day tomorrow."

Rosie's heart sinks, "But you just got here! We can play a quick game like Go-Fish or something. It won't be long. I promise."

"I'd love to, Rosie, really," Harvey sighs. "But I can't tonight. Maybe some other time."

He gets up, taking his plate and silverware with him before placing them in the dishwasher. He stops by to give Rosie a kiss on the top of her head, but other than that, he doesn't acknowledge her at all. When he reaches the door, he finally turns, but focuses only on her mother and says, "See you tomorrow."

It's only then that Rosie realizes his indifference wasn't directed at her, but instead at her mother.

"Are you guys having a fight?" she finally asks.

Donna looks up, swallows, then, "Why do you ask that?"

"He wanted to stay and play Go Fish, but he didn't."

Donna gives her a fake smile, "We have a lot going on at work, Rosie. He's just tired."

Rosie looks down at her lap, and mumbles under her breath, "He wanted to play Go Fish."

If her mother hears her, she doesn't let on, so Rosie takes this as her cue to disappear to her room, shutting the door and turning her music back on full blast. She'd leave her mother's problems with her best friend for another day. There was no sense dwelling on it now.

It's about 7:45 in the morning when the knock on their front door signals Jenna's arrival. Donna goes to answer it while Rosie finishes drowning her waffles in syrup.

"Mornin', lil nugget," Rosie hears Jenna's voice and a tug on her little ponytail.

"Morning," she yawns, still not quite awake.

"Come on," Jenna nudges her. "Where's that enthusiasm? We've got a big day planned today, remember?"

"Yeah, but," Rosie whines, "it's _early_."

She's being difficult on purpose. She knows that. She's been begging Jenna to take her and her best friend Alice to Governor's Island for weeks now, and she is actually excited, but for some reason, she's just not feeling it this morning.

"You'll feel better once all that sugar is in your system," Jenna points out, stabbing Rosie's fork into a giant bite of waffle and holding it out for her to take.

She eats mainly in silence while Jenna goes over the list of all of the activities they have planned for the day just one more time, and her mother flits around the apartment getting everything together. At 8:00, Donna leans over to give Rosie a kiss and waves goodbye to Jenna, wishing them a fun day and then heads off to work.

"Okay, kid," Jenna huffs, once Donna is gone. "What gives?"

"What?" Rosie asks, genuinely confused.

"What's this grumpy thing you're trying today? I know it's something to do with your mom, and I know that because it can't _possibly_ have anything to do with me."

Rosie giggles at first, then sighs, "I think my mom and Harvey are having a fight. And they won't tell me why, and Harvey left dinner last night without playing any games. He _never_ does that."

"Well, I don't know Harvey all that well, but whatever it is that's going on between him and your mom is gonna blow over soon because what I _do_ know about Harvey is that he loves you both very much, and he would never stop loving you over some stupid fight. Got it?"

Rosie nods, still somewhat unconvinced, "Got it."

"Now," says Jenna. "Let's take that frown, turn it upside down, and get a move on, yeah?"

Rosie can't help but smile a little at that, hopping up from her seat to run into her room and change while Jenna cleans up from her breakfast.

A little less than an hour later finds them parked in the driveway of Alice's house, arguing over who has to go up and ring the doorbell. Jenna insists that it's Rosie's friend, therefore her duty to fetch her, while Rosie counters that she's a seven-year-old and that it is, in fact, Jenna's responsibility as the adult. After about five minutes of back and forth with no conclusive solution, they compromise by going together.

If Rosie's being entirely honest, she couldn't care less about the walk to the porch, it was the woman behind the door that scared her. Unbeknownst to Jenna, she's quite literally terrified of Alice's mother, and would rather skip their playdate altogether than risk facing her alone. The woman was probably fifty (Alice being the youngest of four) and Rosie doesn't remember having ever seen her smile. Alice's parents moved to New York City from Shenzhen, China about ten years ago, long before Alice was born, bringing their entire family with them. Her mother apparently had no interest in moving to America, but her father came on business, and ever since they've never gotten along well. The time spent here has turned her mother stone-cold and bitter with resentment, and Alice has always been somewhat afraid of her. She prefers spending time with her father, who Rosie has never met or even seen because he works long hours and is never around at school or the few times Donna and Rosie have come to pick Alice up from the house. Alice's mother, however, is always there, hardly speaking a word as she ushers her daughter around.

This time, however, when Jenna rings the doorbell, Alice comes to answer it on her own, her mother nowhere in sight. Rosie lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding when Alice explains that her mother is busy doing laundry and she already told her she was leaving, so they're free to go, as long as she's back by 3:00.

The second Jenna has them buckled into the backseat of her car, Rosie finds that thoughts of Harvey and her mom are pushed to the back of her head and forgotten almost entirely. Their argument is the last thing on her mind between their jam session to Taylor Swift in the car and the long day of running and climbing and playing they do once they reach the island. She and Alice decide to play superheroes on the playground while Jenna reads on a bench nearby, glancing up at them from behind her sunglasses every now and then, and making sure they drink enough water seeing as it's a fairly warm day. By 2:15, they've exhausted themselves enough that when Jenna gives them a five-minute warning, they're practically dragging themselves over to the bench.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" Rosie asks, out of breath as she climbs onto the seat beside her nanny.

Jenna laughs, "Maybe next week. Tomorrow's Tuesday, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. It's movie before lunch day, and my turn to pick."

Jenna raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure you didn't pick last week? I seem to remember otherwise."

"Nope," Rosie shakes her head. "My turn."

Jenna peers over at Alice, "You don't think she's lying to me, do you?"

Alice shrugs, "I can never tell."

"I don't lie," Rosie shouts defensively. "It's called a bluff."

Jenna shakes her head, but she's smiling as she says, "Oh, yeah? Who taught you that?"

"Harvey."

"Figures."

After a few moments, they head back to the car, each girl holding one of Jenna's hands while they drag their feet and chatter about the game they were playing and how they could improve it the next time they found themselves here. They have Alice home with five minutes to spare, and Rosie hides behind Jenna's body when her mother answers the door, leaving her nanny to make conversation with the woman while she messes with the watch on the woman's hand and keeps her eyes trained towards the ground.

They're home before 4:00, surprisingly enough, so with still a couple of hours before her mom is due to be back, Rosie grabs her iPad and sits on the couch while Jenna sits in the chair flipping through television channels. They're in the middle of making toast just an hour or so later when they hear keys jiggling the lock on the front door.

"Huh," says Jenna. "Your mom's back early."

Rosie runs excitedly to greet her mother as soon as the front door opens, ready to fling herself at her when she notices that she's carrying a large cardboard box.

"Mom!" she cries. "What are you doing here? And why do you have all that stuff?"

Donna doesn't even acknowledge her at first, just sets the box down right by the front door.

"Hey," Jenna calls as she rounds the corner of the hallway. "You didn't tell me you'd be back early."

"Last minute change in plans," Donna replies, finally looking at Rosie and gathering her in a hug.

"Hey, baby."

"Hi, Mom," Rosie smiles into her mother's shoulder. "We're making toast. Do you want some?"

Donna sighs as she releases her grip and pulls away so she can look Rosie in the eye, "Not right now, but thank you. Why don't you go keep an eye on it though while I have a little chat with Jenna, okay?"

Rosie looks between the two women, trying to understand if there's something she missed, but neither of them provides any evidence of that, so she shrugs and does as Donna says, "Okay."

Rosie skips out of the room, getting a little ruffle of her hair by Jenna as she darts past on her way to the kitchen. She stands by the toaster oven on the counter, elbow resting there with her head propped on her chin. She wonders if the glass will get foggy this time. It's always fascinated her how sometimes the glass fogs and other times it doesn't. Donna said it was because their toaster was old and maybe a little broken, but Rosie still likes to watch and wait to see if the steam appears on the little oven door. Just as she's beginning to realize the fog isn't coming this time, she hears footsteps from both older women, announcing their arrival.

"No fog this time," she sighs.

"Guess not," Donna shrugs. "Looks about done, though."

"Yeah," Rosie agrees, allowing her mother to maneuver around her to retrieve the toast from the toaster right as the timer goes off.

She places both pieces of bread onto separate plates and carries them to the table where Jenna joins them with the jar of peanut butter and spreader. Once their toast has been covered completely, Rosie dives right in. It isn't until she's halfway through her snack that she realizes it's awfully silent. Before she can come up with something to say, however, Donna places a hand on her arm with a deep breath.

"Rosie," she says softly. "I need to tell you something."

Intrigued by her mother's seriousness, Rosie places her toast back on the plate and cocks her head to the side in question, "What is it?"

"Well," Donna begins, pausing and looking to Jenna before continuing, "Jenna isn't going to be keeping you for a while."

"Why not?" Rosie cries immediately, worried something is horribly wrong. "Jenna, are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine, kiddo," her nanny assures her with a smile. "You aren't gonna be needing me though."

"I'm gonna be home for the next couple of weeks," Donna explains before Rosie can question this. "So Jenna is going to take a little break while I stay home with you."

"But…" Rosie ponders this for a moment. "Don't you have to be at work? Harvey doesn't like it when you aren't there. He says everything is always a mess."

Rosie sees her mother hide a little chuckle at that, "Yes, he does. But he knows I won't be there."

"He said it was okay?"

"Something like that," Donna says, looking down at her hands. "Rosie, listen. There's been a little bit of a mess at work lately. A big misunderstanding, and a lot of issues, and Jessica decided it was best if I just...stayed out of it for a while."

"Are you in trouble?" Rosie wonders.

"I'm-" Donna looks as though she's about to deny this, but thinks better of it. "Yeah."

"With Harvey?" Rosie guesses.

Donna sighs, "With everyone. Big misunderstanding, remember?"

Rosie is young, but she isn't stupid. She knows what being in trouble with your boss means.

"Mom, did Harvey fire you?"

She thinks she sees tears building in her mother's eyes, which basically answers her question for her.

"Harvey didn't, no."

"Jessica?"

Donna nods.

Rosie finally looks over to Jenna, who has been sitting in complete silence this whole time, toast untouched.

"But Harvey's gonna fix it, right?" she prods, looking at her mother for confirmation.

She gets none.

"Jenna!" she turns to the younger woman, eyes wide. "You promised he'd fix it. You told me you were sure."

"Rosie," Jenna sighs softly. "I said that when I thought it was a personal argument. This may not be something Harvey can help."

"But he has to fix it!" Rosie turns back to her mother. "He can fix anything. He's _Harvey_."

"I don't think it's something he wants to fix right now, baby," Donna whispers honestly.

Rosie doesn't understand this. He doesn't want to fix it? He wouldn't just leave them, would he? He needed them, and they needed him. They were supposed to always have each other, but if her mother was gone, he was just going to find some other secretary and forget all about them. She wants to yell at him. She wants to pound her tiny little fists against his chest and make him understand how mad she is that he wouldn't just fight for them. But since he isn't here, she can't do that, so instead, she turns to Jenna, glaring daggers at her.

"You _promised_," she shouts, hot tears already streaming down her face as she takes off to her room and slams the door shut.

She falls asleep at some point. She isn't sure how long it takes her to reach that point, but no one comes after her, they never do. She does better this way when she can just cry herself out, but today she's extra tired, and the next thing she knows she's waking up to darkness out her window.

She pads down the hall and into her mother's room where she finds Donna in her pajamas, propped up against several pillows and a book in her hands.

"Well, hey there, sleepy," Donna smiles at her. "I thought you were out for the night."

Rosie rubs her eyes, but says nothing, climbing onto the bed as well and hiding herself under the covers. There's a long silence, then Rosie feels rustling and soon Donna is under the covers completely as well.

"I was wondering what was so great under here," she comments.

Rosie finds it in her to smile at least a little.

Donna tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You feelin' okay?"

"Guess so," Rosie shrugs.

"Can I tell you something that'll make you feel better?"

"What?" Rosie asks, not ready to believe her quite yet.

"I talked to Rachel," Donna begins, "and she's gonna take off of work tomorrow and come pick us up to have a girls day, how does that sound?"

"Girls day?"

"Yeah. We'll go get breakfast somewhere fancy and go shopping at Times Square and get our nails done and eat lots of sweets."

Rosie finds herself liking the thought of this, "Okay."

"Okay," Donna nods.

A few minutes later, once they've dragged themselves out from underneath the comforter, Rosie curls into her mother's side while Donna returns to her book. No discussion of Rosie returning to her own bed or even changing into her pajamas takes place. They both know she'll fall asleep again soon with Donna rubbing soothing circles across her arm and back.

In the morning, Rachel is there, just as promised. They spend the entire day doing exactly what Donna said they would do: getting to be girls. Rosie gets a brand new dress and boots and asks to get her nails done purple. They eat ice cream in Central Park and macaroons at the Plaza. They make a short pit stop at the Eloise store because Rosie insists on owning one of the little black jumpers. Everything comes out of Harvey's bank account, Donna tells him, as he'd given her a card years ago, and she's Mrs. Specter for the day to anyone who asks.

It's as Rosie and Rachel are seated in the back corner of the shoe department at Macy's while Donna tries on a million pairs of heels that Rosie finally looks to her mom's best friend with hope of finding answers.

"Rachel, why did Jessica fire my mom?" she asks.

Rachel does a good job of avoiding her gaze, "It's kind of a long story, and I'm not sure you'd understand."

Rosie huffs bitterly, "Grown-ups never think I'll understand anything."

"I know," Rachel replies with sincere sympathy. "But one day you'll understand a whole lot more and wish you didn't."

"Will you at least tell me why Harvey's mad?" Rosie begs.

Rachel stares at her for a long moment before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her close.

"I really couldn't tell you that if I wanted to, babe. It's between him and your mom."

"Are they always gonna be mad at each other?"

"I hope not," Rachel whispers and places a kiss to the top of Rosie's head. "Look, I don't have all the answers, and I have no idea when or if things are ever going to be normal again, but everything is going to work out in its own way. It always does."

"How can you know that?" Rosie prods, having been told something similar lately and been disappointed anyways.

"Because," says Rachel. "You got me. Boys are always gonna be stupid and mess up and honestly, they'll get it wrong more often than not. But you've got me, and so does your mom, and us girls gotta stick together, right?"

"Right."

The rest of the week passes uneventfully. Rosie sees more of her mother in the next four days than she ever remembers seeing her in her life, and part of her is grateful for that if nothing else. They play board games and watch movies and do all sorts of things that mothers and their little girls are supposed to do but which they've never really had time for, and it's good. Mike drops by once, and he gets into an argument with Donna over something Rosie definitely doesn't need to understand to know is about Harvey. She notices Donna avoid several calls from Harvey himself, and even once has the phone snatched away from her when she tries to answer.

They see him on Friday. He's standing outside his car waiting for them when they leave to get lunch, and it's all Rosie can do to keep from flinging herself into his arms. He used to always be ready to catch her. This time she's not so sure.

They argue. Donna and Harvey. Her mother tries to drag her away before he can get a word in, but, of course, he's Harvey, so he does. Things get heated quickly, and they're going back and forth so fast Rosie can't even begin to tell what it is they're arguing about before she's being dragged away. She glances back at Harvey as Donna tugs on her wrist, urging her along. He's angry, but underneath that there's a sadness in him that she isn't used to seeing, and it makes her a little bit sad too. She's not so mad at him anymore.

The next week Donna tells her Jenna is coming to keep her for the day because she has to "take care of some things." Rosie has no idea what that means, but the fact that she isn't being specific probably means that's what she intended. Jenna tries to get her out of the house. She refuses. Won't even change her clothes. Her nanny gives up the fight after an hour or so, and they lay around the house all morning doing nothing until Donna comes home crying a little after lunchtime. Rosie never finds out why.

Several days later, they're headed to breakfast when they see him again. He's flipping through records at one of the street vendors outside that little Japanese place just down the street from their apartment. It's not a coincidence, and Rosie knows it, but more importantly, she knows that Donna knows it.

"Donna," he calls out to her when she tries to tug Rosie along without acknowledging him.

She stops abruptly, causing Rosie to bump into her leg.

"What?" she demands.

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out an envelope, "I brought you your bonus."

Taking it from him, Donna stares him dead in the eye while ripping the envelope in half, then hands back the pieces.

"Really? You thought that would make it all better? Handing me a check?"

"Look, I know that you're…" he pauses, giving Rosie a quick glance, "angry—"

"Oh, really?" Donna interrupts with a scoff. "What gave it away?"

"Donna."

"You just had to jump in there at the trial, didn't you? You just had to fight my battles for me."

Harvey purses his lips, "Yeah, I did that because the last time I saw you, you were mad that I didn't fight for you."

"Well congratulations, Harvey," she throws her hands up in the air. "All you managed to do was make it look like I love you."

He glances again at Rosie, then back at Donna, "You said—"

"I know what I said," Donna interrupts once again. "That wasn't what Louis was asking. He was asking if I _love_ you."

"And you wouldn't answer."

"Because he was forcing a yes or no answer to a complicated question," she defends. "I...am not...in _love_ with you, Harvey. I love you the same way I've always loved you. Like my best friend, but as far as you and I are concerned, right now I'm not so sure about that one."

She grabs Rosie's wrist, turning to leave, but before Rosie can even think to protest this, Harvey calls out to her, "Donna. You can't just cut me out, you know."

"I'm not trying to cut you out, Harvey. I just—"

"Look, I didn't just come here to give you a check. I came here to get you back."

Another scoff.

"What? Is Cameron not working out? I heard that little _punk_ redid my entire filing system."

"Cameron's fine," Harvey assures her, but then turns very serious. "Look, I need you."

"Need?" Donna repeats, disbelieving.

He confirms with a nod, "Need."

There's an ease in the tension after that, but Rosie can tell her mother isn't through just yet.

"Well, what about Jessica?"

"She already signed off," Harvey replies immediately.

"How'd you get her to do that?"

"Because I told her I can't be me without you."

Donna gives him a disapproving look, "No you didn't."

"Well, I thought it," he amends casually. "And she knows it"

There's a short pause. Rosie takes this opportunity to tug on her mother's hand, reminding her of her presence once more. She gives her the best puppy dog eyes she can manage, and soon the resolve melts right off the older woman's face.

"Okay," she says when she turns back to Harvey. "I will come back on two conditions. One is...you replace that check with a bigger one."

Harvey reaches into his jacket, pulling out an envelope identical to the one he had first shown her, "And the other?"

Donna smirks, "I get to fire Cameron."

"That's it?" he wonders, slightly taken aback.

"You want me to make it harder on you?" Donna challenges.

"No, but I was expecting something a bit more degrading on my part, at least."

"Lucky for you, I'm feeling generous," Donna replies, but Rosie notices the familiar tone in her voice that means she's only teasing him. "But if you'd like to take us out to breakfast, we wouldn't mind. Would we, Rosie?"

Rosie meets her mother's wink with a smile, "Nope."

Harvey turns his eyes to Rosie and grins, "I think that can be arranged. Got any specific place in mind?"

"Do we ever go anywhere else?" says Donna.

"Just making sure you hadn't found somewhere better without me," Harvey shrugs casually, though his tone conveys something deeper.

He and her mother share a moment during which they seem to exchange many thoughts with no words before Donna slowly responds with a simple, "No."

"Good," Harvey replies but doesn't break their little staring contest.

Rosie, now thoroughly unamused and incredibly hungry, finally lets out a low groan and tugs on Donna's hand again.

"Can we go now?" she begs.

Looking away from Donna to smile at her, Harvey nods, "Sure thing, Shortstop."

"I'm so hungry I could eat a cow," Rosie complains just as Harvey reaches for her hand, and she allows herself to be dragged along by both adults on either side of her.

"A whole cow?" Harvey exclaims, eyes wide.

"Yep," she nods.

They pause when they reach the street corner, waiting to cross.

"Not sure they sell those there," Harvey tells her with mock sincerity.

"Well, I can stick to pancakes then, I guess," she plays along. "As long as there's bananas. And strawberries and whipped cream."

Harvey chuckles and squeezes her hand, "_Now_ you're talkin'."

The orange hand on the screen next to the stoplight flashes to the little white image of a man, signaling for them to walk, and they take off together, matching each other stride for stride, even as Rosie's much shorter legs bring them to a slower pace than normal. She glances up at each of them, a smile on her face when she notices they're both sporting huge grins. Rachel was right, after all. Everything was going to be just fine.

**Annnd, that's all for now. I'm starting back at school, so I'm going to have to try harder to make time for this story, but I've got people holding me accountable, and I'm excited for where I'm going from here. This next chapter especially is going to be a joy to write, so stay tuned :)**


	5. Amateur Blood

**I feel like I apologize every time for how long it takes me to update, but this story is so important to me I can't just throw it together if I'm not in the right frame of mind, so this is how it is. We're really starting to get into the angst now, though, which is harder to write but hopefully more exciting to read. Enjoy (or don't, I won't know the difference).**

"_No I can't get rid of your blood_

_No I can't let go of your love"_

Harvey can't help but wince slightly as the slight pressure on his lip causes the pain to surge for a second.

"Tell me he looks worse," Donna pleads as she continues applying pressure to the wound.

"He does," he assures her once the cotton is away from his mouth.

"Are you hurt?" she asks, and part of him considers briefly making a joke because _obviously_, but he doesn't. He knows what she really means.

"No, I'm fine."

He lets go of the grip he's had on his fist, testing just to make sure he can open it again without his knuckles bursting.

"I hope you didn't do that because of me."

He catches her eye, "It was a fight, Donna, not a duel."

But, once again, he knows what she's really saying, and he's pretty sure they both know there's truth in it. He'd been angry before, but the second he turned around and saw those tears in her eyes, he hadn't even stopped to think about anything other than his fist making contact with Stephen Huntley's face.

There's a pregnant pause, then:

"How could I not have—"

"Listen to me," he cuts her off before he has to sit here and watch her blame herself again. "Stephen betrayed us all."

She shakes her head, "No, you don't understand, Harvey. I was _with_ him."

She gets up before he has the chance to stop her again, taking the tissues with her to deposit them in the trash bin by the door.

"And he was capable of something like that," she continues. "And I didn't see it. You know, I'm supposed to—"

"Donna," he can't listen to it anymore. It's hurting his heart to see her like this. He stands so that they're eye level again, and she sighs. "It's okay."

There are tears building in her eyes again as she looks back at him.

"Just tell me you're gonna make him pay," she pleads.

He doesn't give it a second thought before promising her he will.

"He'll pay."

She leaves without another word, and Harvey wants more than anything to go after her, wrap her in a hug, and tell her she deserves so much better. But he knows it isn't his place, and if anything he's always been best at keeping the distance between them just enough that he's denied the comfort he seeks but knows at least that she'll be alright. So he lets her go, hoping once she's home that Rosie will be there for her to hold instead.

He feels like it wasn't all that long ago, and perhaps it wasn't, that they were seated on those barstools at their diner, Rosie sandwiched between, poking at the blueberries in her parfait while he told Donna that her dating Stephen bothered him. He'd been swimming in memories of _the_ _other time_ and exactly how it came to be that the little strawberry blonde to his left existed at all. Rosie had looked up at him then, small features staring intently, and then said, "I agree."

Both he and Donna had shared a little laugh at that, but then that had been the end of it. He was in no place to tell her why it bothered him, especially when he was too busy denying it to himself, but maybe if he had been more insistent, he could've spared her this. He plays out the scenario in his head as he wanders around in search of Mike and realizes that truly any more insistence on his part for her to end it wouldn't have gone well at all. He can't stop blaming himself though. He seems to be doing a lot of that lately, especially where she's concerned. In a perfect world, she'd never have to deal with loser boyfriends again. But this isn't a perfect world, and he more than anyone is overly aware of that fact. So he stands by and tries his best to keep his mouth shut, so at least one of them can find a little peace in this chaos.

That's what he tells himself, what he's been telling himself, but what he has to remind himself not all that long later when he's having drinks with Dana Scott and telling her he doesn't want her to get caught in the crossfire.

The details are a bit hazy, and it seems like ages since that night in his office when Mike told him about Stephen, but this isn't getting easier, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried about her. He's _incredibly_ worried, and he hates admitting it, especially when she's Scottie, and he knows she can take care of herself, but this is all such a mess. Maybe it's stupid, but he sits there watching her smile at him and can't help but think of all the good times they used to have together in law school. Things were so easy then. Ever since he met Donna, he thinks his life has been just too much of a complicated mess, and being here with Scottie feels so simple, and the next thing he knows he's asking her to come to the firm, to come back, to come back to _him_.

They've got some stuff to work through, and he knows he's still going to have to try harder than he ever has before, but there's a chance for _something_ here, and he wants to make it work. He dreads telling Donna, but he dreads telling Rosie even more. Ever since Mike came to the firm, they haven't been as close as they used to be, and he knows part of that is Donna's doing, but part of it is that the more people Harvey has to focus on, the less attention he can give to her, and with one more person in the mix, she's not likely to be happy about it. He remembers vividly the conversation Donna had had with both of them on the couch in the office when she told them she was seeing Stephen. He'd shrugged it off, of course, but Rosie had herself a little fit about the whole thing, and he'd had to try pretty hard to hide the smirk threatening his lips.

He thinks it over and decides that it's probably best he tell them separately. Donna will be able to come to terms with it on her own, and Rosie's less likely to flip out when her mother isn't there to deal with it.

When Tuesday arrives, he is pleasantly surprised to find out that there's a teacher workday at Rosie's school, and therefore not only will she be here the entire day, giving him plenty of time to work up the nerve, but her best friend Alice is going to be here as well. Harvey has met Alice a handful of times when Rosie invited her to Sunday dinner, and one time he had something to discuss with Donna while the girls were having a sleepover. She's a sweet little kid, and of course, Rosie loves her, so he's biased, but he likes her a lot too. Alice is a lot quieter than Rosie is, less likely to cause trouble, and able to keep her best friend balanced, which is quite the task.

With his hopes high, he pulls Scottie aside, explaining to her his plan, before leading her to his office, expecting to find Rosie and Alice somewhere inside. However, when they reach the glass door bearing his name, the two are nowhere to be found, and Donna's seat behind her desk is unusually empty. He wonders if they're hanging out with Rachel while Donna takes care of business elsewhere, and he's about to call down to Rachel's office when he opens the door and hears a high-pitched giggle come from behind his desk.

He exchanges a look with Scottie, where the latter raises her eyebrows. He gives her a smirk and takes a few steps towards his desk, glancing down to see two pairs of little feet.

"Alright," he says, crossing his arms and using his best mock stern voice. "Let's have it, then, you two."

Another giggle comes from behind the desk.

"Either you come out now, or I'm going in after you, and I can assure you that if that happens, you won't appreciate the outcome."

After a few seconds, two little heads pop up.

"You can't catch both of us!" Rosie challenges, and without another second to spare they each take off on opposite sides of the desk, making a mad dash for the door.

Harvey, only slightly caught off guard, backs away from the two, moving towards the door as well, and just as they merge paths to reach for the exit, he wraps an arm around each of their waists and yanks them to his side.

"Gotcha," he smirks, tossing Rosie over his shoulder and holding Alice sideways against his ribs like a football.

Both girls squeal and shout to be let down, which he does by tossing them somewhat roughly onto the couch on the other side of the room. They're in a heap of giggles, clutching their sides while he stands over, shaking his head at them.

"_What_ am I going to do with the two of you?" he asks. "I leave you alone for ten minutes…"

"Mom told us to scare you," Rosie replies, out of breath.

Harvey purses his lips at her, "Well, I guess that means I ought to get her next."

Just as the girls' laughter fades away, he notices Rosie's eyes lock on the woman behind him.

"Hi, Scottie," she waves, seemingly perplexed at the woman's presence, but choosing not to comment on it.

Rosie and Scottie have met each other twice, maybe three times, usually only when the latter has business with the firm, but they aren't exactly close. Still, Rosie has never seemed put off by the woman, which gives him a little bit of hope that this won't completely crash and burn the way it had when Donna told her about Stephen not that long ago.

"Hey, Rosie" he hears Scottie reply.

Alice leans over to Rosie and whispers something in her ear, to which Rosie responds with a whisper of her own, and Alice nods in understanding.

"Alright, Shortstop," Harvey finally sighs, sucking in a breath. "Time for one of our famous chats."

"Is this about Louis's stapler?" Alice asks, eyes wide. "Because Mike was the one who told us how to do it."

"Alice!" Rosie growls through her teeth and nudges her best friend.

Harvey looks between the two girls, "What did you do to Louis's stapler?"

"Covered it in Jell-O," Alice replies sheepishly.

Rosie gives her friend another look, but Harvey just bursts out laughing.

"You put his stapler in Jell-O? What did he say?"

"I don't know," Rosie shrugs. "He hasn't seen it yet 'cause he's at a meeting."

A snort from behind him suddenly reminds Harvey of Scottie's presence and his purpose.

"Right, well you just let me know how that works for you," he says to the girls. "But that's actually not the reason I wanted to talk to you."

"Then what is it?" Rosie asks.

"Well…" Harvey begins, and then pauses, suddenly realizing that in all the time he's spent worrying about having this conversation, he'd never actually taken a moment to think of exactly how he'd go about saying it. He takes a seat in one of the chairs across from the couch so he's closer to their level and rests his hands on his knees.

"Well?" Rosie prods.

"Um...you like Scottie, don't you?" he begins gracefully.

"She's alright, I guess," Rosie shrugs, then laughs a little as she catches the woman's eye over his shoulder.

"Right," Harvey grimaces at his own incompetence. He's the best closer in New York City, but he gets tripped up trying to talk to an eight-year-old. Figures. "So...you wouldn't mind if she came to work here?"

Rosie crosses her arms, "Thought she was too busy working with our buddy Tom Riddle."

Harvey snorts out a laugh himself, which alleviates a bit of the tension, "She was, but now that that's going south, I decided it might be a good idea for her to come here."

"It's probably for the best," Rosie agrees with a nod, and he can't help but take a moment to marvel at how amazed he constantly is by her maturity. "But that's not all you had to tell me, right? 'Cause she doesn't need my permission to work here."

"Yeah," Harvey bites the inside of his cheek. Here comes the part he's been dreading. "I um...well, Scottie and I...we...she's my…"

"Girlfriend?" Rosie suddenly blurts out.

Harvey's jaw drops, "I—"

"I know you're not used to the word, but c'mon. It's not _that_ hard to say."

He's still in shock, so it takes him a second to realize she's teasing him, and with that realization comes the thought that she must not be that upset.

"It's not," he defends himself. "I just wasn't sure how you were gonna take it."

Rosie rolls her eyes, "You mean because of how I acted when Mom told me about Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes," Harvey replies with a small smile.

"Well you're not my mom, and Scottie is definitely not as bad as him."

"Well thank you, Rosie," Scottie says as she approaches them. "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"I have a bias towards women," Rosie states very practically. "That's what Jenna says. She's my babysitter, and she says I trust girls more than boys because I am a girl, but I think it's just because girls are better."

"Girls _are_ better," Alice adds. "All the boys in our class are gross. Especially Casey. He never brings his own pencils, so he asks to borrow Rosie's, and then he breaks the lead on purpose and cuts the eraser off so he can sharpen the other end and turn it into a double sword."

"_And_," says Rosie, "he always copies me. He says everything I say, and it's so annoying. Last week, he drew Pokémon all over my paper while I was in the bathroom, and it took me forever to erase them all."

The more the girls go on, the more concerned Harvey starts to become.

"Has this Casey kid ever hurt you?" he asks Rosie.

She shakes her head, "Nuh uh, but sometimes he pokes me until I look at him and then just doesn't say anything."

Harvey hears Scottie chuckle a little, so he turns to look at her, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she says, folding her lips in to keep from smiling.

He glares at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the girls, "He's not being mean to you, right? Because if so, I'll set him straight."

"He's not mean really," Rosie qualifies. "I'm just sick of it."

"Rosie," Scottie interjects, moving to sit on the arm of Harvey's chair. "You know, sometimes when a little boy annoys a little girl, it means he likes her."

Harvey's eyes go wide, and he's almost too stunned to catch Rosie and Alice exchange a quick look before simultaneously squealing, "Eeewwwww!"

"Casey Tanner likes me?" Rosie asks aloud to no one in particular while making a gagging sound that causes Alice to giggle.

"He might," Scottie shrugs. "If he was really being mean to you, I'd say punch him in the face and tell him to eat dirt, but it seems like this is just some harmless teasing, and, well, generally the more boys annoy you, the harder they're trying to get your attention."

"So what do I do?" Rosie asks.

"Depends," Scottie considers this for a moment.

"On what?" asks Alice.

"On whether or not Rosie likes him back."

That snaps Harvey out of his daze.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, _woah_," he holds up his hands in a sign for them to stop that train of thought right where it is. "Rosie is eight years old. She's nowhere near old enough to be liking boys."

"Says who?" Scottie raises an eyebrow at him teasingly.

"Says _me_!" he volleys back immediately, voice reaching an abnormally high pitch. "Rosie, this boy annoys you, remember? Ruins all your pencils? Vandalizes your private property? I can take him to court, you know."

"Harvey, chill," the little redhead rolls her eyes. "I don't _like_ like Casey."

Harvey lets out a sigh of relief, assuming that's the end of it.

"He is kinda cute, though."

He throws his head back against the top of the chair and groans, "I was not prepared for this today."

"Scottie?" Rosie asks. "Do you think we could talk about this some more later? Just you and me?"

"Sure thing," Scottie agrees instantly. "I'm always up for girl talk."

"Thanks," Rosie smiles, then turns to Alice. "C'mon let's go back to Mike's and see if Louis found his surprise yet."

The two girls hop up from the couch and within seconds, they're out of sight.

"Thank you for that," Harvey huffs at Scottie sarcastically.

"What?" she laughs, standing and knowing very well what he's talking about.

Harvey crosses his arms, "You couldn't have just let it go, could you?"

"I'm just telling it like it is," she raises an eyebrow at him and gives him that little evil smirk that makes him roll his eyes.

"Well, next time you two have a little chat, you're going to sit her down and tell her that she's too young for boys, right?"

"Harvey, relax," Scottie gives his cheek a little patronizing pat. "What are you so worried about? You sound like my dad."

Thankfully, she's turned towards the window when she says this so she doesn't see him visibly gulp.

"That's a comparison I like to hear," he easily deflects, and she turns, smiling.

"You know what I mean."

Harvey just shakes his head at her, and that's the end of it. Soon, they've moved onto buy-ins and dinner plans and her temporary living situation, and the conversation with Rosie is entirely forgotten.

The rest of the afternoon is spent putting everything in order, and at 8:00, they're heading towards the elevators, where Donna is waiting with both of the girls, just about to head out as well. Rosie and Alice eagerly reenact the encounter between Louis and his stapler for Harvey, who laughs genuinely at their antics and the other senior partner's predictable reaction on the ride down to the lobby. Just as they all make their way towards the front door of the building, Donna bends down to murmur something in her daughter's ear.

"See you next Tuesday, Harvey," the mini redhead says cheerily with a wave.

Harvey pauses for a second, "Tuesday? Isn't this Sunday our dinner?"

"You're still coming to that?" Donna asks, her eyes flickering quickly at Scottie.

"Of course," Harvey replies immediately.

"You can bring Scottie if you want," Rosie offers.

Harvey notices Donna falter for less than a second, and Scottie must notice too because she instantly begins shaking her head, "I wouldn't want to impose…"

"You're not," Rosie assures her, immediately. "I want you to come. Will you? Please? Mom doesn't mind. Do you, Mom?"

Donna looks from her daughter to Harvey to Scottie all very quickly before smiling, "Scottie, you're welcome to come."

"You're sure?" the other woman presses.

"Absolutely," Donna says, smile wide, and if Harvey didn't know her as well as he did, he would've mistaken it for sincerity.

"Then I'd love to come," Scottie smiles widely as well, but hers is sincere, and it's directed at Rosie.

"Yay!" the little girl cheers. "We play games too, I'm the best at Go Fish, so I'd start practicing if you want to stand a chance."

Donna shakes her head at her child's bragging, but Scottie just laughs.

"I don't know about that one, Shortstop," Harvey gives her a worried look. "Scottie's pretty good at cards, no matter what game. She can even do all those cool tricks while shuffling like I told you about."

"Even the bridge thingy?" Rosie asks, eyes wide.

"Yep."

"What can I say?" Scottie shrugs nonchalantly. "My dad was a blackjack dealer up in Atlantic City before I was born. Taught me everything I know."

"Will you teach me?" Rosie pleads immediately.

Scottie gives her a soft look, "We'll see."

They all exchange somewhat awkward goodbyes after that, Harvey and Scottie sliding into the car that Ray has waiting for them with promises to be at Donna's on Sunday right on time.

Harvey spends the next four and a half days in a ball of nerves.

He thought breaking the news with Rosie was going to be hard, and he'd just spend the rest of his life keeping his relationship with Scottie separate from his relationship with Rosie and Donna, but that had gone in the entirely opposite direction, and he was in no way prepared. He was glad he didn't have to keep Scottie away from Rosie, but all four of them sitting down for dinner every other month, acting like a family? There were so many things wrong with that scenario, he couldn't even begin to think of them all.

Scottie does a fairly good job of avoiding the subject with him, which he knows means that she can see it's causing a lot of inner turmoil for him that she'd rather not get into, and for that he's grateful. So by the time Sunday evening does finally roll around, he finds himself knocking on Donna's door, bouncing on his feet impatiently and praying for the night to be over as soon as possible.

Of course, that's the exact opposite of what happens.

Dinner takes longer than normal because they're having breakfast food, but there's only one waffle maker, and therefore only one waffle made at a time. They sit around the table after what feels like an hour and allow Rosie once again to dominate the conversation. There isn't so much tension as there is an overwhelming sense of awkwardness, which Harvey tries to reduce by asking Rosie questions about school. Only he should have known on this particular night that any attempts he made at taking control of the situation would only make things worse. Within minutes, Donna and Rosie are in the middle of what seems to be an ongoing argument about her math homework. All Harvey is able to glean from the conversation is that math appears to not be Rosie's strong suit, so she would rather avoid it altogether, while Donna insists she has to keep trying in order to get better.

Right as he's about to insist that they cut their evening short, Scottie pipes up with an offer to help Rosie with her math homework while she's here because she's always loved math. Donna, desperate for any help she can get at this point, begs Rosie to take her up on the offer, and so that's how Harvey ends up on his secretary's couch, making small talk while his girlfriend tutors said secretary's daughter on the exciting concept of fractions.

It lasts a good hour or so before Rosie finally seems to grasp the concept and Harvey hears a lot of cheering and excited comments from the kitchen table, so he assumes they're nearly done. Minutes later, Rosie comes running over shouting, "Mom, I can do it now! Scottie taught me a whole different way than we do at school, and I was worried at first, but it makes so much more sense. Fractions are _so_ easy."

"I told you that you could do it," Donna smiles proudly at her. "What do you say to Scottie?"

Rosie looks up at the brunette with enormous admiration, "Thanks, Scottie."

"No problem," the older woman winks at her. "Anytime you need me, I'm here."

"Alright," Donna sighs. "Time for bed, kiddo."

"But we didn't get to play Go Fish," Rosie whines.

"Next time," says Donna. "Harvey and Scottie need to get home, and you have school in the morning, so get."

She pats Rosie's butt affectionately and shoves her gently in the direction of her bedroom.

"Night, Shortstop," Harvey calls after her.

"Night," she throws over her shoulder, barely even acknowledging him at all.

Donna sees Harvey and Scottie out, thanking Scottie again for finally getting through to her daughter, but the exchange is still just awkward enough that Harvey finds himself ushering his girlfriend into the hallway before they end up in another excruciating conversation.

The ride home is abnormally silent, neither of them knowing exactly what to say, so they refrain from saying anything at all. Harvey considers thanking Scottie himself but thinks that might come off a bit oddly, and that's definitely not a road he's willing to go down right now, if ever.

By the next morning, everything between them is back to normal, but of course, that doesn't last very long. Within a little over a week everything is pretty much blowing up in their faces, and he's trying, at least he thinks he is, but maybe not hard enough because despite what he might've said to Donna during their last argument, he doesn't really want to tell Scottie about Mike. He knows he should, and he wants the obstacle itself to go away, but he doesn't want her to know. Maybe that in itself should've been telling, but he pushes that emotion down and keeps trying anyway.

It isn't good enough.

In the end, he tells her with tears in his eyes and she says it doesn't change anything, that she still has to go. He knows that but hearing it is another thing entirely. He doesn't even know how they got here because it feels like no time has passed since he'd first asked her to come, and he'd been so excited by the possibility. Finally, something to fill that void inside him that had been there for so long, and it had, for a while, at least. And then it hadn't. And maybe that's how things got so bad so quickly. Because he was attentive enough and he was more focused on the work aspect of it and going through the motions, but he found the passion lacking. He cared about her, but that was all he could find within himself to admit, as much as he knew she wanted more. He finally admitted to her being someone he loved right at the last second, but it wasn't organic. It wasn't what being in love felt like, and that much he knew for certain.

He sits there brooding for a while, hoping he can be sad alone for long enough that Donna gets it and doesn't try to intrude. He doesn't think he can handle her input right now, but he gets it anyway. Of course, he does, and he shouldn't be surprised that by the end of the conversation he's already feeling much lighter. His heart still hurts a little, but probably not for the reasons it should. He doesn't dwell on that for too long.

The next day is Tuesday, meaning Rosie comes rolling in around 4:00.

He'd spent so much of the last twenty hours of his life trying to think about anything but his break up, but the second her tiny little frame comes bounding down the hall, he realizes it's not quite over yet.

Without a doubt, his former girlfriend is the first thing she mentions when she swings open the door to his office.

"Where's Scottie?" she wonders, eyes searching the room as though somehow the woman would appear at the mention of her name. "I wanted to show her my math quiz she helped me study for. I got an A."

"Hey, look at you!" he grins. "I knew you could do it."

"Only because Scottie helped me," Rosie reminds him. "Where is she? I went to her office, but she wasn't there."

Harvey swallows. He knew this moment would be coming, but somehow he was hoping to avoid the conversation that was likely to follow. Looks like he's out of luck.

"Rosie," he says after a deep breath. "Scottie uh...well, she's not gonna work here anymore."

"Why not? Did something happen?" Rosie asks, confused and, he thinks, more than a little upset.

"Not exactly," he grimaces, then sits down on the couch and motions for her to join him.

"Then why is she leaving?" she prods. "She was so excited to be here, and be with you."

"Yeah, well…" he trails off, knowing this is the hard part. "...we've decided not to be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, that's all."

"Harvey, what did you do?" Rosie whines.

"Me? Why do you always assume it's my fault?" he protests lightheartedly, not so much taking actual offense as he is glad to see she isn't completely dejected.

She gives him a very pointed look, one that scarily resembles her mother. No words are needed for him to hear her loud and clear.

"Okay, good point," he concedes. "But for your information, it was entirely mutual."

She scrunches her face together, "What does that mean?"

"Well, in this case, it means we just came to the decision that we'd be better off as friends."

"Har-_vey_!" she whines again.

"What?" he chuckles.

"You can't keep doing this!" she admonishes. "You're never gonna get married if you keep chasing women away."

Harvey widens his eyes and lowers his voice, "Who says I want to get married?"

Rosie looks practically offended, "You don't wanna get married?"

"I didn't say that," he clarified. "It's just not exactly something I think about very often."

"Well, you should. Wouldn't it be so nice to have someone to come home to? To be able to kiss and tell them that you love them?"

"I have you for that," he says, teasing tilt to his head and a smile on his face.

"Harvey. Come on."

"Okay, maybe it would be kinda nice," he agrees. "But it's not exactly a priority at the moment."

"You're not getting any younger, you know."

"Are you saying I'm old?"

"No," she drawls, dragging the syllable out slowly. "But Mom says sometimes she worries she's lost her chance to 'settle down' because so many people get married young these days, and you're older than she is."

All of a sudden his heart seems to slam against his chest. He sucks in a breath.

"Your mom...talks about wanting to get married?"

Rosie shrugs as if this is no big deal, "Of course she does."

It's odd because in actuality it makes perfect sense. Why would she even go on dates to begin with if she wasn't planning on settling down? But, of course, he'd never really had this conversation with her, and the fact that Rosie had just thrown it out there so casually has him taken aback.

Donna. Getting _married_. To a man. Someone who wasn't him helping her raise her child.

He'd be lying if he said that thought didn't completely terrify him, but he can't dwell on that at the moment. He'll make himself sick with worry right here in front of Rosie, and he can't do that, so he deflects with comedy as is his go-to these days.

"To be fair, her track record with dating isn't top-notch either."

"I know," Rosie sighs, rolling her eyes. "But that's because of you."

If he was drinking something he would've choked.

"She said that?" he manages to stutter out, voice almost an octave higher than normal.

If Rosie notices anything odd about this outburst, she doesn't let on.

"Uh-huh," she nods. "She said every time she's got a date you're always bothering her with work stuff so she never has a chance to connect with guys."

"Is that so?" he wonders aloud, a smirk plastered on his face because, despite the fact that he now knows she's onto him, he's also quite proud of himself for how well his plan seems to be working.

"Yup," says Rosie.

"Come here," he says, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards him until she's close to his side and he can easily wrap his arm around her shoulders. "I know you really like Scottie. I like her a lot too, but sometimes that's not enough to make a relationship work."

"Why not?" Rosie wonders.

"Because…" Harvey trails off, contemplating exactly how to answer when he isn't even really sure himself. "Being an adult is hard, and not everything always works out just because you want it to really badly. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda," Rosie twists her face up a bit, considering this point of view.

Then, out of nowhere:

"Did you love her?"

Harvey suddenly stops the soothing pattern he'd been subconsciously rubbing on her arm.

"I think I tried to," he tells her honestly, "Maybe I did. But it wasn't the way I was supposed to love her. It wasn't—"

"Enough?" Rosie guesses, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Yeah," he sighs.

"Is that why my dad left me?"

Her voice is so soft he almost misses it, but he's certain the way his heart stops means he heard her exactly right. Immediately removing his arm from her so that she can't feel him shaking, he stammers out a, "What?"

"My dad," she repeats. "Is that why he left?"

"Back up a minute," Harvey finds himself muttering. "Where did you—"

"You were friends with my mom when I was born, right? And a long time before that. So you must've known my dad. Mom doesn't like to talk about him ever, but I thought, maybe…"

"Woah, woah, woah," he cuts her off. "Easy there, kiddo. Where's this coming from?"

Rosie sighs, "You said you didn't love her the way you were supposed to. I thought maybe that's why my dad left. Because he didn't love my mom enough or something. Like you and Scottie."

"Rosie," he starts after taking a deep breath. "If there's one thing you ever know about your father, it's that he loved your mother very, very much, okay?"

"The right way?"

He nods, "In _every_ way."

"Then…" she trails off, looking at her shoes. "Then that must mean it was my fault."

"What—"

"He left because of me," she looks back up with tears in her eyes. "Because he didn't want me."

"Hey," Harvey almost shouts, grabbing her hands and squeezing them tight. "That is _not_ true."

"Then why? Why did he leave us? Weren't we good enough for him?"

Harvey chokes back a sob of his own at the hurt in her gaze but manages to shake his head.

"You are absolutely perfect," he assures her. "You and your mom both."

Rosie sniffles, "But he left us anyways,"

"I know," Harvey murmurs, somehow managing to keep his tears inside. "And if you asked him, I bet he'd tell you it was the stupidest decision he ever made."

"How do you know that?" she asks, helpless.

"Because I knew your dad, remember? He was young and stupid and cocky and way too focused on work and his job to think about having a family. And when you came along, he got scared, and he ran. But it was just the thought of having a baby, not because of _you_. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Rosie shakes her head.

Harvey sighs, desperate to make her see.

"He didn't know how to be a father. His life was a bit of a mess, and he didn't want to ruin that for you if he ended up being a really bad one."

"Oh."

Harvey tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger for a moment so his fingers run through one of her strawberry blonde curls she must've had Donna do this morning.

"I do know one thing, though."

Rosie blinks, "What?"

"If your father would've known you, there's nothing on earth that would've stopped him from trying his hardest to be the best dad he could be. He was scared, but he would've faced it if he would've known how great a kid you turned out to be. He just hadn't met you yet."

That seems to cheer her up a little bit, and he sighs with both relief and guilt as he watches her wipe at her eyes and nose.

He knows there's probably going to be more disappointment over Scottie's departure in the future, and he knows soon Mike will have to tell her why he's leaving too in a way that is possible for an eight-year-old to understand, and he knows that on top of that, neither of these things are going to be easy for him to deal with himself, much less watching her go through it with him. But that's for later. For now, he watches as she opens her backpack and sorts through her stuff, taking out her homework and getting started while he returns to his own desk.

It's getting close to 8:30, later than usual for Donna to stay when Rosie's around when Harvey finds himself at a stopping point. He looks up to find Donna's desk empty, assuming she got caught up in the file room with something and turns to Rosie.

"Hey, Shortstop," he calls, loud enough for her to hear him through the earbuds she's wearing.

She presses pause on the iPad and takes out the headphones, "What?"

"I'm finishing up here. You wanna pick a record for us to play until your mom comes to get you?"

Rosie nods excitedly, hopping up from the couch and darting to the same exact section of his collection that she knows by heart. That's the shelf where he puts all her favorites, just for easy access. It had messed with his organization a little, but he likes thinking of it as a little bit hers, so he supposes it's alright.

He starts shutting down his computer and packing away all his things when he hears the familiar sound of Natalie Cole's "This Will Be." He shakes his head with a smile. He should've guessed she'd pick this one tonight. She's feeling introspective, and a little clingy, and he knows this is her go-to. She skipped the first four songs, knowing exactly where to place the needle by now so that only the first few seconds are cut off.

"C'mon, Harvey," she calls. "Dance."

He doesn't give in often, not at work, but he thinks tonight he can make an exception. They both need it. So he walks over, taking her hands and twirling her around while she giggles and allows him to direct their steps. Her laughs grow louder as he starts singing along in a voice he knows is a horrible impression of Natalie Cole's, but which he continues with anyways just to keep her smiling.

They're so lost in the moment that they both freeze at the sound of Donna's voice when it cuts in.

"Did you think you'd get away with having a dance party and not inviting me?"

"Come dance with us, Mom," Rosie insists, running over to tug on Donna's hand.

"My feet have had it for the day, I'm afraid," her mother says, glancing down at her five-inch pumps with a regretful little shrug.

"You can take them off, you know," Harvey offers with a smirk.

Donna raises an eyebrow as if silently asking him if he's challenging her, so he responds by raising both of his.

"Alright then," she huffs, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. She uses him to keep her balance while she removes first one, then the other heel, and tosses them both on the chair.

At her new height, he has several inches on her, yet he still feels as though he has lost the power in this little engagement. It tends to be that way with her (something he's come to realize in the last decade of his life). He watches as she struts purposefully over to the turntable and flips the record, which is now done playing, to the other side.

The three of them spend the next little while dancing together. Harvey takes turns spinning and dipping both Donna and Rosie, and even once lifting Rosie onto his feet so he can move around with her standing on them. At some point, he's trying to do a little waltz with Donna but purposefully stepping all over her toes.

"You're such an idiot," she manages to say while trying to keep from laughing. "Ow! Harvey, stop it."

He doesn't. If anything, he starts doing it even more, leading to her finally growling in frustration.

"You are _so_ annoying."

"You're smiling though," he points out.

"Doesn't make you any less obnoxious."

He sticks his tongue out her in a juvenile attempt to make her lose her composure, which works quite well. She finally gives in to a fit of giggles after that, and he thinks briefly that he wishes he could make her laugh like that every day.

"I gotta pee," Rosie says, suddenly interrupting them, and then darting out the door towards the bathroom.

Just at that moment, a slower song starts playing, ruining their earlier playful vibe. Donna looks as though she's about to move away to stop the music entirely, but before she can, he reaches forward and pulls her in by her waist. He settles them into a proper ballroom dance position, guiding her hands where they're supposed to go. Surprisingly, she allows him to do all this without protest, albeit a little shell-shocked, and he wonders if it's because she's feeling sorry for him. He doesn't say anything, though, not wanting to kill whatever vibe has found its way around them, so he wordlessly sways along to the familiar sound of the music, letting himself relish in the intimacy of this moment with his best friend.

"Are you okay?" she whispers quietly after a while.

He has to force himself to look her in the eyes, not certain he can handle what he sees there, but knowing they both need the assurance.

He swallows, "Are _you_ coming back tomorrow?"

She doesn't look offended. She knows what he's asking.

"Yes," she nods.

"Then I'm okay."

The look she gives him makes him think she doesn't believe it. It's true, though.

They go back to moving together in silence. He thinks about what it would feel like if she rested her chin on his shoulder. She doesn't. But it doesn't stop him from feeling it anyways. The song seems to last way longer than it ever has before, and for that he's grateful. He's so lost in this moment with her that he doesn't even notice the little redhead watching them through the glass door.

**Thank you for giving me literally any of your time. I hope I didn't waste it :)**


	6. Pteryla

**Just in case everyone thought I disappeared, I am definitely still here and have every intention of finishing this story, but life is rough, y'all. Anyways, here's whatever this is.**

"_Told, a daughter to love me_

_Hold, still you're in all things"_

She's glad she sent Rosie to Mike and Rachel's tonight.

That's the first thought she has when she lays down to sleep. Her daughter's whereabouts hadn't really crossed her mind all evening, but it does now. Only briefly, but it does, and she's grateful they had enough foresight to want her as far away from this as possible. They'd disguised it as a treat: a fun sleepover with Rachel like they used to have when she was younger. It was far from the truth, but Rachel insisted on making a night of it anyway, and well, it ended up working in their favor.

She's glad she sent Rosie to Mike and Rachel's tonight because she can't bring herself to care about her wellbeing at all right as this very moment, and it's entirely selfish, but she can't help it.

_You know I love you, Donna._

His voice is on repeat in her head, moving at warp speed, over and over. She's staring at her ceiling, hearing him tell her over and over again as if hearing it once wasn't painful enough. She started by telling herself it wasn't anything more than what it was. An "I love you" from your best friend wasn't all that uncommon after all, and it wasn't like it's something they've never said before. But that line of thought quickly dissipates because she knows him, and she knows that wasn't all there was to it.

She doesn't expect to get much sleep tonight, and she's inevitably proven correct.

That's probably half the reason why she goes into work feeling extra irritable. The other half is sitting on the other side of the glass door in a Tom Ford suit with a phone pressed to his ear when she plops down bitterly at her desk first thing in the morning. Of course, he's here early to avoid catching her in the elevator or really catching her at all before he's completely engrossed in his work. She takes one look at him in there, all calm and put together and probably not even a little sleep deprived and hates him for it. So she figures he can go without her help at the moment and wanders in search of anything else to do.

She figures the whole Norma situation is just good luck, really, which is an awful thing to even think, but she can't help it. For one day of the year, she's going to let her thoughts be consumed by self-pity because she'd gone through a lot in the last twenty-four hours, and if no one else was going to acknowledge it, she would just have to do it internally. She's grateful for the distraction in helping Louis all day. Part of her knows that it's much easier to focus her concern and worry on him, especially when he's obviously doing his best to avoid acting like he cares at all. Their friendship is really something she's starting to appreciate, and she wants to be there for him, even when he doesn't know he needs it. She's always been better at putting others' needs before her own, and if she's going to let herself have a little pity party in her head, the least she can do is direct her outward attention on Louis.

When she finally runs out of tasks to help him with, she finds herself dragging her feet slowly back to her desk at the end of the day. Mike is just on his way out of Harvey's office, and he gives her a little smile.

"Hey," he pauses. "Haven't seen you all day. I didn't even get a chance to congratulate you in person."

"Thanks," she replies halfheartedly. "I've been taking care of some things for Louis."

Mike grimaces, "How's he holding up?"

"Not well," Donna sighs. "Even worse because he's in denial about not doing well."

"So pretty much exactly how we'd expect Louis to act," he smiles sadly.

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, I'm about to head out for the night, but I think Harvey was looking for you," Mike points with his thumb over his shoulder.

She feels herself chuckle a little bitterly, "So he finally noticed, huh?"

Mike gives her a look, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...it's been a lot," she shakes off his concern.

He nods, "See you tomorrow, Donna."

"Goodnight," she nods back at him as he begins to walk away.

Donna retreats to her desk chair for a moment, stealing a glance at the man in the office next door in an attempt to prepare for whatever conversation may follow. He's glancing down at a file on his desk, eyes trained on his work, fist clenched and jaw set. It's a look she's very familiar with and has been for the past twelve years of her life, but something about it forms a little knot in her stomach and she really, _really_ doesn't want to walk through that door. But she's going to have to confront him sooner or later and she'd rather do it now when she's all pent up energy and still a good bit of anger instead of the sadness that will undoubtedly plant itself within her head the longer she puts it off. So with a deep breath, she stands and walks towards his office the same way she has millions of times before, and pushes the door open

"You wanted to see me?" she says, voice detached in a way she hopes he notices.

He doesn't.

"Yes, where have you been all day?" is all he says, as though everything is perfectly normal.

"Why?" she wonders, baiting him. "Is there something you wanna talk about?"

"Yeah, where you've been," he snaps. "Sean Cahill was at my door last night—"

"Harvey, Norma passed away," Donna interrupts before she has to sit here and listen to another one of his pointless tirades that has nothing to do with anything she cares about at the moment. "I've been helping Louis."

"Norma died?" he pauses, gaze shifting. "That's terrible."

"I thought you couldn't stand her," she challenges.

Harvey shrugs, "I couldn't, but I assume Louis loved her, so…do what you need to do."

"Oh," Donna replies as though she's just had a major revelation, "because she was his secretary, he must've loved her."

Harvey purses his lips, tilting his head in that way he does when he's annoyed, "That's not what I meant."

"But it is what you said," she throws back, taking a few more steps towards his desk but stopping short of the proximity she normally inhabits.

"Okay, Donna," he sighs, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "What's wrong?"

"How about we start with the fact that I have been wondering for the last ten hours if you're going to acknowledge what happened last night. But you're you, so of course you're not."

"I'm not gonna acknowledge it because nothing happened last night."

"Why?" she asks, provoking him on purpose. "And don't tell me I know why."

"Because it would've been a mistake and you know it," he replies immediately, eyes softening just the slightest.

Donna shakes her head in exasperation, "What I know is _something_ happened, and you ran away, but not before you told me you loved me."

"I did that because I wanted to make you feel better."

Whatever she was expecting from this interrogation, that certainly wasn't it. She's taken aback for a moment, which almost scares her, but she recovers with enough grace that the next words that fall from her lips sound like poison.

"What did you just say to me?"

The intensity of the question startles him, and he stumbles for a moment "That's not what I meant. I didn't say that to—"

"Because you pity me?" she cocks an eyebrow at him, then shakes her head. "Yeah, you did."

"No," he counters, "I said it because I love you, and I wanted you to know it."

They were getting absolutely nowhere, and it's not like she assumed this would go any other way, but the part of her that had started this entire conversation just to provoke him was being fueled by her own agitation, and she wasn't going to leave this room without having the upper hand. So maybe that's why she says it. Maybe it's not because she's genuinely looking for an answer because his response doesn't amaze her in the least.

"Love me how?"

"Why does that have to—"

"Love me _how_?" she drawls, throwing her arms out in a dramatic display, and when he once again has nothing to say, she sighs. "That's what I thought. You either can't answer, or you won't, which is probably for the best anyways because obviously, you don't just look at me this way. You're capable of looking at me that way, but you don't want to let those worlds collide because you're afraid to _risk_ anything, and I don't want Rosie getting caught in the crossfire."

"Because there's no reason to risk anything when we _have_ everything!"

"No, Harvey. We _don't_ have everything!"

She sees the recognition in his eyes for a brief second as he considers the truth of this, but it's gone in a flash to be replaced with his stoic, angry look from before as he says, "So you're saying you want everything?"

_Everything_.

She doesn't let herself go down that road. Doesn't give herself time to think about just exactly what everything would entail. Doesn't wonder what it would be like to go home with him in the afternoon to the little strawberry blonde that has her nose and his eyes and spend weekends getting ice cream together and rainy nights all snuggled in bed watching Disney movies. She doesn't let herself go down that road because he's not going there with her, and she can't possibly bear the thought of ending up at a dead-end alone.

So this is what she says:

"I don't know, Harvey, but what I do know is I don't want your pity."

And when she leaves, she doesn't even consider a glance back.

When she gets home that night, Rosie is fast asleep on the couch, head in Jenna's lap, blanket tucked right under her chin.

"Long day, huh?" Donna asks as she approaches the two.

"We went over to Rockefeller for dinner since you said you'd be back late," Jenna says with a smile. "Skated for a bit. The crowd wasn't too bad now that it's getting a little warmer out."

"Sounds fun," Donna sighs as she takes a seat in one of the armchairs. "She probably stayed up late last night at Mike and Rachel's too."

Jenna chuckles a little, "I was thinking the same thing."

"Thanks for staying so late."

"S'what I'm here for," Jenna says with a shrug as she begins to carefully lift the sleeping child's head from her lap and place it gently back down on the sofa so she can stand. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Jenna," Donna smiles, and the younger woman lets herself out.

Donna takes a moment to observe her daughter: strawberry blonde hair strewn all across her face, a peaceful look on her face, blanket rising and falling with her heavy breaths. There's something calming about it, about her, even in the chaos that has been surrounding the past two days, and Donna finds herself wishing she could live here, in this little bubble with Rosie forever. She considers letting her sleep on the couch, but then selfishly remembers she hasn't seen her at all since she dropped her off at Mike and Rachel's the night before, and she wants to at least talk to her for just a minute, so she moves to wake her.

After a few gentle nudges, Rosie's eyes blink open.

"Mom?"

"Hey, baby," Donna smiles, moving the hair from her face.

"What time is it?" Rosie yawns.

"Almost 10:00. I just got home."

"Long day."

"Yeah," says Donna. "I missed you. I haven't seen you since last night."

"I had fun with Rachel and Mike," Rosie rubs her eyes and stretches a bit.

"I'm sure you did," Donna agrees. "And you can tell me all about it tomorrow, but let's get you in bed, okay?"

"'Kay."

Donna steers Rosie towards her bedroom, sees her off to sleep with a quick kiss to her head and a promise to remind her to recount her entire sleepover in great detail. When she finally settles down for bed herself, she doesn't even pretend she'll get a good night's rest.

The next couple of days are, well, a lot to say the least. She spends as much time away from Harvey as she can possibly manage, but that also means having to tend to every little problem Louis has during the meltdown he refuses to acknowledge he's having. It's exhausting. And then there's the whole memorial ceremony, or whatever it is you might call it, and she finds herself contemplating how she ought to move forward from here. Obviously, things with Harvey are strained, but they have been quite a lot in the last couple of years, and yet they always return to their normal. Or whatever normal is when it comes to them.

She thinks back a couple months ago, the night of her final performance of the show she'd been working on with Louis. She'd kept Jenna over until half-past eleven just about every night that week due to rehearsals, and was complaining to Harvey about it during one of their walks down the hallway. He'd nodded along obediently, giving just the right sentiment where it was needed, and that had been the end of it. Or so she thought.

She'd left the firm that night, somewhat excited but completely exhausted, and ready to finish out with a bang when she saw them. Both of them, leaning against the door of Ray's car. Her arms crossed casually across her chest and his holding a giant bouquet of flowers.

Donna had smiled but hadn't failed to ask, though she already knew, what they thought they were doing.

"You think we're gonna miss your closing night?" he had replied with a smirk, head tilted slightly.

"I didn't think you were Shakespeare fans," she'd quipped back.

He and Rosie had shared a look then, just before he'd placed a gentle hand on the small of her back and opened the car door, murmuring, "We're _Donna_ fans."

Once they were all tucked into the backseat, Harvey making sure Rosie was buckled snugly between them, Donna had glanced over at him, "You know, you didn't have to do this. I know you got a lot going on with Mike."

"The only thing I've got going on tonight, is you two," he'd insisted, and she wouldn't have been able to control the smile on her face even if she wanted to.

They'd met her backstage as soon as the show was over, cheering and clapping obnoxiously in plain sight of the rest of the cast members. Harvey had suggested going for milkshakes, and Donna had conceded, only because it wasn't a school night, and agreed to meet them at the car. Harvey led Rosie out with a hand around her shoulders so as not to lose her in the crowd, and Donna had found herself staring at them until they were entirely out of sight. One of her castmates who had been lingering nearby gave her a smile.

"It's nice your husband is so supportive," she remarked casually. "Mine would never sit through three hours of Shakespeare, especially not with a kid that young."

Donna is suddenly brought back to the present at the sound of a few associates bidding each other good night at the elevators, and that's when it all becomes incredibly clear.

Whatever it was she thought had been building between them lately wasn't, or at least he wasn't ready to admit that it was, and if she didn't put some distance between them, he was always going to be the man who was just _almost_, and she couldn't live like that. Not anymore.

A deep breath in and she enters his office once again with a knot in her stomach. At least this time she knows exactly how it's going to end.

"Hey," he says, immediately noticing her presence.

"Hey," she mumbles back less than enthusiastically.

"Listen," he starts, and she immediately regrets letting him take charge of the conversation. "I was thinking about what you said, about me pitying you. And I don't. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think you're one of the most amazing women I've ever met, and just because I don't—"

"I'm leaving you, Harvey," she blurts out before he can finish.

He pauses, "What?"

"This isn't working for me anymore."

She can tell he's still shocked and confused, "Donna, I know how you're feeling, but you just went through something huge, with being on trial, and, uh...you need to give it time. You can't just quit."

"I'm not quitting," she corrects him. "I'm going to work for Louis."

"Donna," he chokes out, eyes starting to get a little glossy, almost enough to make her want to take it all back and promise to never leave his side again. "Donna, please."

She can't stand here any longer. One more second and she would cave, so she says the only thing she can think to say, and turns away.

"I love you, Harvey."

He doesn't call after her, but she knows it's only because he's trying to force himself to make sense of everything while also keeping himself from shedding the tears she had witnessed beginning to form. She isn't as lucky. Her own tears are streaming down her face the second she walks out into the hall and the whole way to the elevator. In fact, the only reason she stops crying before she walks through the door of her apartment is because of Rosie. She steels herself enough to make light conversation with her daughter and her nanny about their day for as long as she can manage. Jenna, sensing the mood, offers to see Rosie off to bed so that Donna can retreat to her room alone.

She's crying in the mirror when Jenna comes to check on her.

"You wanna talk about it or…?"

"Not tonight," Donna sniffles.

"You'll be okay?" Jenna pushes.

Donna nods and wipes her eyes, "I'll have to be, won't I?"

Jenna bites her lip, looks as though she's going to say something, but doesn't.

"I'll be fine," Donna says.

"Okay," Jenna smiles. "You know I'm always just two floors down if you need me."

"Thank you."

She cries herself to sleep that night and wonders if Harvey does too.

It's about three and a half weeks of pure torture at work after that. The interactions she has with Harvey are slim to none and when they do speak, the tension is so thick she barely even has enough energy to come up with anything worth saying. Louis takes some getting used to, but she's learning, and they do have fun together, so it's not that big of an adjustment. Donna says nothing at all to Rosie about the new situation for the first couple of days but has to tell her that next Monday night so she won't be blindsided the following afternoon. It goes about as well as she expects it to, meaning Rosie cries and then retreats to her room without another word.

That should have been the first sign, honestly, but Donna has enough on her plate already without thinking about her daughter's reactions to her own problems, so she leaves it be and goes on with her life, choosing to ignore Rosie's attitude for the time being. Though that changes the fourth Tuesday of her new job.

Donna is on her way back from getting a cup of coffee, which had spilled all over the counter, burning her hand in the process and just barely missing her dress. She was late getting Rosie to school that morning because of traffic due to a car accident just around the corner from their building, she spent so much time in the file room that she'd worked right through lunch without realizing it until it was too late, and to top it all off, she's on schedule to start her period tomorrow so not only is she dealing with stomach cramps and a bad headache, but her irritability at everything that's happened thus far is through the roof. So when she comes back to her desk to find her daughter and her new boss in the middle of a screaming match behind the glass doors, it's really no shock that she can't hold herself together any longer.

She storms into the office shouting, "Both of you, shut up _now_!'

Louis and Rosie instantly shut their mouths, turning towards her slightly stunned.

"I don't know what has gotten into the two of you lately, but I have _had_ it with all the arguing."

They both open their mouths in rebuttal but she cuts them off immediately.

"Will one of you please kindly explain to me what on earth I just walked into?"

And then they're off again. Both of them trying to plead their case without even really telling her what the problem is, but she manages to catch the words "brat" and "prank" and "too far" from Louis while Rosie's speech is mainly gibberish other than a "can't take a joke" towards the end.

"Okay," Donna finally shouts over them. "I really do not have the energy for this today."

"There is a fish tank in my desk drawer, Donna!" Louis practically shrieks.

Donna turns to Rosie with an eyebrow raised, "There's a what?"

Rosie huffs, crossing her arms over her chest, and mumbles, "A fish tank in his desk drawer."

Donna sighs heavily and points her finger at Rosie, "You. Outside. My desk. Right now."

"But—"

"_Now_," Donna cuts off her daughter's protest with a glare.

With another huff, Rosie stomps out of the office, throwing the door open and refusing to so much as glance back to close it.

Now that Donna is alone with Louis, she realizes she really has nothing to say. She figures she might as well start with an apology, but before she can even open her mouth, he's rattling off again.

"She has absolutely no respect for me," he grunts. "She never has, but every single Tuesday since you switched to my desk, it's been one thing after another. I can't leave my office for five minutes without something going missing or being messed with, but this is just one step too far."

"Louis—"

"If you can't get your kid under control, I'm just going to have to tell Jessica she's not allowed here anymore."

Donna feels her jaw go slack, any possibility of a response dying immediately.

There's a moment when, if she hadn't been having the absolute worst day she's had in months, she might have simply apologized and promised to take care of it before seeing herself out. But she is, in fact, having the absolute worst possible day she's had in months, and she can feel all that frustration building to the surface, so when she totally loses it, it's really not much of a surprise at all.

"You're going to tell Jessica that she's not allowed?" she growls. "Did you forget she's the one running this firm? Not to mention I came to your desk as a _favor_ to you because I felt bad. I didn't have to rearrange my entire life for you, you know. Jessica and I have had an arrangement since I first came to this firm, and just because I work for you now doesn't mean that's going to change. I'm sorry she's been acting out lately, but have you ever stopped to think that this has been a huge adjustment for the two of us? She's nine years old, Louis. She doesn't know how else to express her frustration, and no, it's not right for her to harass you, but you aren't much better, stooping to her level and arguing with a child like you are one yourself. I'll take care of Rosie, Louis, but don't ever threaten to have her banned from this office again, or you might as well fire me too."

With that, she exits through the glass door.

She enters the hallway to see Rosie sitting her desk chair, and Jessica leaning across the desk saying something to her in hushed tones.

Jessica turns at the sound of Donna's footsteps and meets her gaze with eyebrows raised, "So this one was just telling me she's found herself in a bit of trouble today."

"Mmm," Donna nods, raising her own eyebrows but directing the look at her daughter. "Did she tell you why?"

"Yes," Jessica drawls, beginning to back away from the desk. "You've got your hands full, Donna. I don't pity you. But like I told Rosie, everyone could use a little lightening up around here, especially Louis."

And with a wink at the little girl, she walks away towards her own office.

"Okay," Donna says. "Just you and me. Let's have it."

Rosie fixes her mother with a scowl and says nothing.

"So that's how we're playing it, huh?"

Still nothing.

Donna remains unphased. She's had enough practice forcing information out of Harvey and fortunately enough, that's one thing the two have in common. She stares the girl down for a long time, giving her that look, and then...

"I don't want you to work for Louis," Rosie finally bursts out. "I want you to work for Harvey."

Donna takes a deep breath and moves around the desk with a knowing look, "So that's what this is about."

"You already knew that," Rosie counters with a frown.

"I did," Donna agrees, "but I wasn't sure if you knew it."

Rosie sighs and shakes her head, "I hate it over here. Why can't you just go back to Harvey? What did he do to you this time that was so _unforgivable_, huh?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"I've got time," Rosie offers.

"I'm sure you do. But it's probably not something you'd understand."

"Sure I will. Mike says I'm very mature for my age."

Donna can't help a little smile at that, "He's right about that one, but this is more than that. You have every right to be upset, Rosie. I won't deny you that. A lot has changed in the past couple of weeks, and I know when I'm fighting wit Harvey it affects you too, and I'm sorry for that, but you can't take it out on Louis, okay?"

"Yeah, I can. It's way too easy."

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean you should understand?"

"I understand," Rosie finally agrees.

Donna gives her a kiss on her head and smooths her hair down, "What do you say you and I get out of here early, go somewhere nice for dinner, and catch a preview of that new show you told me about?"

"Waitress?" Rosie perks up excitedly.

"Yeah," Donna smiles. "I can hook us up."

Rosie considers this, then, "You're gonna reward me for acting like a brat?"

"No," Donna replies, dragging out the syllable. "I'm going to reward us both to a night out because I'm stressed, and you could use a little distraction yourself."

"I could?"

"You could," says Donna. "I know you're mad at me because I won't talk to you, but it's not because I don't want to. It's hard for me to talk about, and maybe one day I'll be able to, but right now I just need you to trust me when I say I'm handling it the best I can, okay?"

Rosie nods, "Okay."

"I'm sorry for not telling you that earlier," Donna adds. "You deserve that much."

"It's okay, Mom," Rosie assures her. "We gotta stick together, you and me, remember?"

"Got that right, kiddo."

The next couple of hours Donna spends mainly in the file room and on the phone dealing with the tickets to their show and dinner reservations-basically anything to keep her away from Harvey and Louis. At this rate, she'll be out of people to hide from before the end of spring. It's just her luck that she runs into one of the two right as she and Rosie are approaching the elevators. She presses the button as his voice sounds from around the corner.

"You two are out of here early."

"Hey, Harvey," Rosie waves, but Donna keeps her gaze focused on the elevator door.

"Long time no see, Shortstop," he says back, and she has to force herself from turning to look at him as he approaches. "Where are you off to?"

"We have a show to see tonight," Rosie replies happily. "But we're going to dinner first."

"Girls night out, huh?" he chuckles. "Word around here is you pulled a good one on Louis today."

At this, Donna does turn to glare at him, and he averts his eyes, but she's sure he makes some kind of face at Rosie as soon as she's facing away again because she hears a little giggle escape her daughter. Just then, the elevator doors open, and Donna walks through with a little tug on Rosie's arm, "Come on, babe."

"You two have fun," Harvey manages to say before the doors close.

"Good night, Harvey," Rosie waves, but Donna doesn't look to see if he waves back.

Before Rosie can say anything to her about the interaction, Donna jumps to fill the silence, "So...how exactly did you get all the stuff to create an entire fish tank in Louis's drawer?"

"Well…" Rosie begins, "you see, I may have mentioned to Mike that I was thinking about giving it a try last week…"

Donna simply shakes her head, letting Rosie rattle on about how she and Mike managed to pull off their prank, grateful to have some time to think about anything other than work.

Dinner is about the same. They go to a Mexican place a few blocks down from the theater and share fried burritos and rice. The fact that she and Rosie have always had a very similar taste in food has bode well for them in situations such as these. They love sharing a meal together, one plate and two forks and often a dessert at the end if they aren't too full. The night itself is honestly exactly what Donna hadn't known she needed. The past few weeks she's been too exhausted on the weekends to do anything exciting with Rosie, and she's missed their girl time together. She makes a mental note to factor in more date nights with her daughter in the following weeks.

Entering the theater with Rosie's hand clasped tightly in hers, she thanks the universe for the fact that this show is still little known and the fact that it's a Tuesday night, meaning there's little chance of running into any of Harvey's clients, which is exactly the last thing she needs right now. She and Rosie find their way to their seats (two chairs right on the end of a row just a little over halfway back in the center) in the same place as always, Donna having learned from her college days where the best section is for prime viewing. They're early, so she lets Rosie play a game on her phone while she peruses the playbill for anyone she may have known or heard of, as per her routine. When the lights finally start to dim, Rosie hands Donna's phone over and sits back with her eyes glued to the stage, awaiting the show's start eagerly.

Within a couple of songs, Donna begins to get the feeling that this show may be just slightly too mature for Rosie, but she wouldn't dare pull her daughter away from it now. She spends a good five minutes just watching her watch the stage, eyes bright and smile wide, maybe if only to catch a glimpse of what she used to be. They stay put during intermission—never being ones to brave the stampede that inevitably manifests outside the auditorium doors when the lights come back on—and chat about their thoughts thus far. Rosie has to laugh at the fact that the protagonist's name is Jenna, though she's very far from their Jenna in almost every way imaginable. Donna comments that the actor playing the doctor has nice hair, and they both are genuinely surprised by the voices of the actresses playing Jenna's friends. Just as Donna is getting through explaining to Rosie about the show Jessie Mueller had won a Tony for the last year, the lights dim again, and they're forced to turn their attention back to the show.

It isn't until the climax that Donna realizes what she should've known from the very beginning.

A very pregnant Jenna is pacing the stage, singing a song that the playbill names "She Used to be Mine," and Donna can't help but think the entire time, _This is me. This song is about me. She's singing my life._

The song is an ode to the life Jenna once had, before she became pregnant with the baby of a man she feels is incapable of love, and now that she's found herself here, in this position, she can't help but wish for her old self, no matter how imperfect that woman was because at least she was someone to be proud of.

When the song ends, and the crowd applauds, Donna finds herself unable to move, tears streaming down her face that she didn't even notice until they were already too far gone as she ponders how exactly someone else could fully understand the apparent paradox of loving the life growing inside you more than anything in the world while simultaneously wishing it had never existed.

"Mom?" Rosie's voice suddenly intrudes her thoughts, and she turns to face her daughter, knowing there's no point in trying to hide her tears now. "Why are you crying?"

"I...I'm just...you know, really sad for Jenna," she offers weakly.

"I know," Rosie nods. "But keep watching. I bet it all works out just fine."

Rosie focuses her attention back on the show, but Donna can't anymore. She can't think about anything other than the situation she'd somehow landed herself in, and the fact that it was only growing worse by the day.

In the end, though, Rosie is right. The show ends just fine, and everything seems to fall perfectly into place, but despite all that, Donna knows it's just a story, after all. It ends that way because someone said it was supposed to, and maybe her lot isn't really as bad as Jenna's but she doesn't have some optimistic playwright drawing all the lines for her. This is the real world, and who's to say everything will fall into place for her?

She'd done a number on herself giving Harvey so much power over her all these years. She's stuck in this limbo between being with him and being away from him, and at the moment she doesn't know which one sounds better but she'd take either option over whatever this middle ground is right now. But she can't have that. She can't have him, which he'd made perfectly clear, and she can't get away from him because she'd let their lives become so intertwined that she couldn't take him away from Rosie.

She wishes she were a more selfish person. She wishes just for once that she could put her needs over her daughter's and take them somewhere far away where they could start over on their own and make something of themselves. But she isn't a selfish person, and she loves her daughter more than anything in the whole entire world, so she lets her lead them home. She listens as Rosie rants and raves about the show and the songs and costumes and just about anything that tiny little heart of hers desires right up until the moment she shuts her bedroom door.

And when Donna goes to bed that night, she falls asleep to the sound of "She Used to Be Mine" on repeat in Sara Bareilles's voice, and by morning, she knows it by heart. It's what she hums to herself while she gets ready for work, what she mulls over the whole way to the office, and the song on loop in her head right up until the moment he approaches her at her desk.

Stoically, she looks up, "What can I do for you Harvey?"

"I wanted to thank you," he replies slowly, something in his body language a bit off-putting in a way she can't quite pinpoint, but she indulges him nonetheless.

"For what?" she wonders

"For twelve years."

His smile just before he turns to leave is what shocks her the most. He's already ten feet down the hall before she fully processes what he just said, but for the first time since she left him, she realizes he's made _her_ smile too. She might've called for him, but she lets the moment pass in silence, and wonders if only Earl had ever made Jenna smile if things might have been a little different or remained entirely the same.

**And that's a wrap on that for now. I'm not even gonna pretend like the next chapter is coming soon so if by some miracle it does, you'll just have a lil surprise I guess (if anyone still cares).**


	7. Vantablack

**Told y'all this was gonna be a minute. I've gone through it since my last update, so I'm not apologizing for the delay, but instead, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my six favorite human beings: Zayna, Molly, Abbey, Aimee, Annie, and Froot. Because even though most of them won't see this, they're the reason it's here. Thank you for being my rocks :)**

"_With a simple word, honor me, open up_

_With a sinful word, widow me, sober up"_

Harvey watches as her eyes widen when she pulls the box of files from the shelf and catches a glimpse of his face on the other side.

He smirks.

"Donna."

"Harvey," she returns with a look and shoves the file box back in its place.

He moves to follow her.

"You look busy," he comments.

"I look busy because I am busy."

He stands at the end of the aisle and shoves his hands into his pockets, "Too busy to join me at Del Posto on Wednesday night?"

Donna looks visibly surprised, but ignores it, "Harvey we don't need to do that anymore"

"Then why did you leave it permanently blocked off on my calendar?" he accuses.

"Because I did that a long time ago, and when I left your desk I forgot to undo it," she quickly explains, looking eager to return to her work, but he can't have that, so he smirks at her again, knowing no matter how much she denies it, it works wonders on her just the same.

"Then why don't we pretend that you forgot to undo it on purpose?"

Donna sighs, "I don't work for you anymore. What would we be celebrating?"

It isn't a direct rejection, at least.

"Instead of celebrating the day you came to my desk, how bout we celebrate...two weeks of being on decent terms?"

"It's only been a week and a half," she counters, but there's a bit of a smile forming on her face, he can tell.

"Seriously, Donna. I don't _just_ want to be on decent terms," he lets his face soften. "I want to get back to being friends"

"That's really nice, Harvey," she smiles fully and turns to walk away. "See you Wednesday night."

He can't help the smile on his face, especially knowing she can no longer see his reaction. It's the lightest his heart has felt in almost a month. He hasn't had a single panic attack since they've been on good terms, and he's stupid, but he's not an idiot. He knows she was the reason they started in the first place, and he knows that now that everything is good again, they're long gone. He put them in a bad place, and he is well aware of that. He won't make a mistake like that again. He isn't going to risk their friendship, and most certainly not his relationship with Rosie, for something as stupid as letting his feelings slip. Never again.

But that sure isn't going to stop him from indulging himself the way he has for the last twelve years. So he asked her to Del Posto, as friends, like they always have been, and she agreed. And now he just has to find a way to re-compartmentalize all those feelings he's been struggling with over the last month or so, and everything will be just fine.

Wednesday doesn't come fast enough for Harvey. The rest of Monday drags on, and he has trouble sleeping that night, and then he has therapy Tuesday morning, and despite it causing him to eat lunch in his office, it doesn't quite take up enough time for his liking. It's a bit of a drag anyways now that he's not having panic attacks and he makes a mental note to talk to Dr. Agard about quitting next week. He and Mike stay relatively busy: a meeting with a new client, typical Louis drama, and a decent amount of paperwork that doesn't seem like it will ever end. Nevertheless, Harvey finds himself wishing the hours away until the second he sees her coming around the corner, and he's smiling before she even opens the door to his office.

"Hey, Shortstop!" he calls out enthusiastically, causing Mike to turn and notice her presence as well.

"'Sup," Rosie smiles back just before plopping down in the seat next to Mike, where the two exchange a quick fist bump in greeting.

"What's new in the fifth grade?" Mike asks swinging his head in Rosie's direction.

She shrugs, "We're talking about the Civil War and stuff, but it's pretty dumb if you ask me."

Mike snorts, and Harvey shakes his head.

"I heard I'm coming home with you tomorrow night," she says to Mike.

"That's what I'm told. Word on the street is, your mom's got a pretty hot date."

Harvey cracks a small smile and expects Rosie to laugh, but instead, he watches as she considers Mike's comment and replies, "Eh. He's alright."

Mike cracks up at this, but Harvey gives her a deadpan stare, "Ha ha."

"I love being back on this side of the building," Rosie grins, and despite the fact that Harvey was trying not to crack a smile after that little dig of hers, he can't really contain it after that.

"Me too," he agrees.

Harvey notices Mike glance between the two of them before standing and making some excuse to take off. He spends another hour or so working side by side with Rosie, exchanging a few words every now and then about his work or hers. He tries maybe a little too hard to make her laugh, but it's gotten more difficult as she's gotten older, and after almost a month with little to no interaction with her or her mother, he thinks he deserves an extra giggle or two.

Tuesday evening goes much faster with Rosie nearby, and though he's eager for Wednesday still, he realizes he's sad to see Tuesday go, knowing it will still be another seven days before he gets to spend as much time with her again. When Donna comes to pick her up around 6:00, he gives her a high five and watches the two redheads shuffle out of the office, chatting animatedly in that way that is so them and Harvey decides that he'll call Dr. Agard first thing in the morning. He doesn't need therapy anymore because this is the best place he's been in in years.

When Wednesday finally comes, he finds himself caught between excited and anxious and probably a little more on edge than normal just because he wants things to go right and not lead into the disaster that was their last extended one-on-one interaction. But when the time does arrive, he realizes he had nothing to worry about. They spend the majority of their evening talking about how things are with Louis and Gretchen and their expectations for Mike and Rachel's wedding, and he even prides himself on staying outwardly neutral when she mentions the new guy she's been seeing. It hurts, he can't deny that to himself, but it doesn't sound permanent and she's here with him isn't she?

Everything is great until she mentions Esther. He hadn't thought about Esther since, well, the last time he saw her really. Because that was all fun and games but he's been working hard to get his life back on track, and he was totally past whatever had happened between them. And here Donna is, asking him to tell Louis that he slept with Esther, and quite honestly the thought of how _almost_ right she is causes him to go on defense before he even considers telling her the truth, but in the end, he finally gives up. If they're going to make this friendship thing stick, he has to stop pretending he isn't completely vulnerable when it comes to her, so he lets it all out instead.

"Well, you know what," he almost smirks, "I don't need to do that because, for once, your radar is off. We haven't been sleeping together, and before you go all Donna on me and try to prove that I'm lying without having any evidence of that fact, I'll tell you I was close. I was real close, actually, but when I was leaving the firm to go home that night, I looked over and saw Rosie at your desk outside of Louis's office, and I realized that anything I did would just be a knee jerk reaction to me freaking out over you leaving, and Esther deserved better. She'd been through enough already, so I let it go."

Donna watches him for a moment as though waiting for him to laugh and say it was all a joke, but he remains quiet until she's ready to speak.

"Well, that's mature of you," she mutters, but she's smiling, so he knows she means it as a sort of compliment.

"I meant what I said," he tells her sincerely. "I want us to be friends, and I know that means I have to give a little more than I take, but I'm going to try."

Donna smiles into her wine glass, just enough that he can see it, and when their eyes meet he gives her a smile right back.

It's late by the time Ray drops them at the front of Mike and Rachel's apartment. He insisted on seeing Donna and Rosie home, and Harvey certainly wasn't going to argue, though Donna attempted to protest. Despite the hour, Harvey's knock is immediately met with the door swinging wide open and Rosie standing just inside.

"How was your _date_?" she teases, wiggling her eyebrows at them.

"Fine," Donna replies, as they move inside and Harvey shuts the door behind them.

"How was yours?" Harvey asks Rosie in response.

"Fine," she mimics her mother and skips into the den, leaving them with no choice but to follow.

When they enter, Mike and Rachel are seated on opposite ends of the couch: Mike with a remote in his hand, invested in the television while Rachel has her legs folded underneath her and a laptop positioned in her lap.

"Wild night, huh?" Harvey comments.

"Oh, for sure," Mike agrees. "We even watched The Parent Trap."

"Figures," Donna rolls her eyes fondly.

"And we looked at dresses for me for the wedding," Rosie adds excitedly, grabbing Donna's hand and dragging her towards Rachel. "Aren't they pretty, Mom?"

"Beautiful," Donna agrees as she looks over Rachel's shoulder.

"I told her she could wear a flower crown," Rachel adds. "That went over really well."

"I'm gonna look like a real princess!" says Rosie.

"Oh, are you?" Donna chuckles.

"Yup."

"Well, all princesses need their beauty sleep, and you, my dear, are up _way_ past your bedtime."

"Not my fault you ditched me for Harvey," Rosie replies, and Mike coughs out a laugh.

Donna shakes her head, but Harvey takes this opportunity to sneak over to Rosie, scoop her up, and toss her over his shoulder, making her squeal. They say their goodbyes and thank yous to Mike and Rachel before making their way back downstairs and into the car. Rosie is fast asleep by the time they reach their apartment, so of course Harvey insists on carrying her up to bed, even though he's almost positive she wakes up during the transition, but he doesn't comment on that fact. Donna rolls her eyes and tells him he ought to stop spoiling her, but he makes the argument that someone should, and it's not like she has grandparents around all the time.

When they reach Donna's door, Harvey makes his way into Rosie's room and sets her down on her bed as easily as he can, but she either wakes up or stops pretending to be asleep before he can slip out.

"Goodnight, Harvey," she mumbles as he draws the covers over her tiny frame.

"Goodnight, Shortstop," he whispers back, and considers leaving a kiss on her forehead, but doesn't.

Donna sees him to the door, still dressed in her work clothes except for her shoes. When they say goodnight, he has to remind himself he most definitely cannot leave a kiss on her forehead, but it doesn't keep him from wanting to.

The next day he spends a majority of the morning secluded in his office, so he doesn't see Donna at all. He doesn't really see much of anyone besides Jessica for a few quick minutes, and Gretchen because she sits right outside his door. He's so busy working that he barely registers the sound of the door opening until someone is on the other side of it.

"Hey," Harvey looks up at the sound of Mike's voice. "Can I talk to you about something real quick?"

Harvey motions for him to come into the office, and Mike shuts the door on his way in, causing Harvey's interest to peak.

"Is something wrong?" he asks, curious.

"No," Mike is quick to assure him.

"You shut the door."

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly think you want anyone to overhear."

Harvey gives him a strange look, "Why are you being weird?"

Mike sighs and plops down into one of the seats on the other side of the desk, "Would you stop asking questions and just let me talk?"

"Go ahead," Harvey allows, leaning back in his own chair.

"So," Mike begins with a large exhale, "last night, when Rosie was over, I went to take a shower while she and Rachel were deciding on a movie for us to watch, and when I got out, I sort of overheard a kind of...odd conversation."

"Okay…"

"_Ugh," Mike hears Rosie gag just as he's tossing his t-shirt over his head. "His name's Mitchell and he's _so _boring."_

"_Boring, huh?" Rachel replies, seemingly amused._

_Mike can't help but listen in on them while he continues getting dressed._

"_He doesn't have any good stories," Rosie groans. "At least Stephen had good stories."_

"_You never like any of the guys your mom dates," Mike can practically hear his fiancé shaking her head in her tone_

"_That's not true!"_

"_Rosie…"_

"_Okay," Rosie cedes. "Maybe I don't, but it's just because they're all losers, and she deserves better."_

"_They are not _all _losers," Rachel protests._

"_They are. She deserves the perfect guy, and none of them are that guy"_

"_Because Harvey is?" _

_Rachel's question causes Mike to freeze just as he's about to open the door._

"_I didn't say that," he barely hears Rosie mumble._

"_But you were thinking it," says Rachel._

"_Well...maybe I was...but I'm not crazy, Rachel. They're perfect for each other, don't you think?"_

"_I'm not denying that, but.."_

"_Then why aren't they together?" Rosie asks, and Mike can hear both the desperation and the hope in her voice. "I know it's not because they don't have feelings for each other because I can see it. It's _so _obvious. Why can't they just be happy?"_

"_It's not that they don't want to be happy, Rosie, it's just that it's—"_

"_Complicated?" Rosie hazards a guess._

"_Yeah," Rachel sighs._

Harvey sighs deeply when Mike is through relaying the story.

"I just thought you should know," Mike offers. "Not that it makes much of a difference or anything, but—"

"Rachel didn't say anything else?" Harvey interrupts, having hardly processed what Mike was saying.

"No," Mike drawls, squinting at him slightly.

Harvey nods, feels his jaw clench and unconsciously wipes a sweaty hand on his suit pants.

"Look, Harvey," Mike leans forward, "I know you're not ready to admit it to anyone, ya know, out loud or anything, but Rosie isn't the only one who sees it."

Harvey swallows, but his throat feels a bit tight and he worries for a second he might choke on his own saliva.

"And for what it's worth, I'm rooting for you."

What Harvey wants to do is thank Mike or at least acknowledge him for being a good friend, but what he wants to do and what he ends up doing are often found to be on two entirely different ends of the spectrum, and so he finds himself unclenching his jaw and saying, "I'd really prefer you to stay out of it. Especially when you don't know what you're talking about."

Mike shakes his head with a slight humorless chuckle, "Okay, Old Man. Whatever you say."

Harvey watches as Mike leaves the room as quickly as he came, knowing that won't be the last he's going to hear about Donna from his best friend, but deciding for once that maybe he'll just let it be for a while.

It takes all of about three hours for it to come up again. Mike is back in his office, reading through some briefs for him when Donna comes in under the pretense of work for Louis, but really just idle chatter and a way to make fun of Mike for something that happened a little bit ago which Harvey can't be bothered with. He lets them go at it for a little bit before something catches his attention that requires a remark and then Donna's attention turns to him.

"Speaking of, I need a favor," Donna uncrosses her legs and stands from the spot on the couch next to Mike that she'd previously been occupying.

"Speaking of what?" Harvey asks, genuinely confused.

Donna ignores him entirely, and proceeds on with her story.

"Rosie has a friend's birthday party on Saturday that she wants to go to, but Rachel and I have had a spa day planned for weeks, so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind dropping her off and picking her back up for me."

Harvey looks her over, her eyes honest and hopeful.

"I guess not," he shrugs, deciding for simplicity's sake not to put up a fight. "It's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Great, thanks," Donna smiles. "I'll text you Casey's address?"

"Yeah, su—" he cuts himself off when he realizes mid-sentence that the name rings a bell. "I'm sorry, did you say Casey?"

Donna gives him a weird look, "Yes."

"As in, Casey from third grade who stole her pencils and had a crush on her Casey?" Harvey asks as he strides purposefully back to his desk chair.

"That was almost two years ago, Harvey," Donna dismisses him immediately. "They're best friends now. Try to keep up, would you."

"Hold on," Harvey grips the edge of his desk. "I thought Alice was her best friend."

"She's allowed to have more than one best friend, you know."

"Well, yeah, of course, it's just, you know, Casey is uh…"

"A what?" Donna challenges, crossing her arms. "A boy?"

"Well...yeah," Harvey mumbles.

"Oh no," he hears a small mutter from the couch where Mike is still sitting.

"So, just because he's a boy, he can't be her best friend?" Donna presses.

Harvey sighs, pressing two fingers against his forehead, "I didn't—"

"Let me ask you this, Harvey," Donna continues, taking a step closer to him. "Am I your best friend?"

Mike continues to stay put humming a soft, "It's a trap. It's a trap. It's a _trap_," under his breath.

Despite this, Harvey knows he has to answer truthfully, so he immediately says, "Of course."

"So you're allowed to have a best friend who's a woman, but Rosie can't have a best friend who's a boy why exactly? Because it's different for girls?"

"No!" Harvey jumps to defend himself. "I mean, I didn't really consider—"

"Your innate sexism?" Donna offers with a glare.

"What?" he shoots back, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"She's a kid, Harvey. She's not thinking about that kind of thing, and I really would rather she didn't have to for a while yet, so if you could just leave your stupid prejudice at home and take her to the party, I'd appreciate it."

Harvey is now almost one-hundred percent sure he has no idea how he got put in the doghouse so quickly without even realizing what he was doing wrong, but he decides it's really not worth it to keep arguing with her. They've been doing so well lately, but the longer this goes on the more he sees it becoming a real argument and not just Donna antagonizing him for the fun of it (which he's pretty sure is actually what's happening now).

"You're right," he responds and takes a seat. "I'm sorry. Just send me the address."

"Great," Donna immediately sobers up and smiles (proving his theory in doing so). "So I'll see you both at my house around noon on Saturday?"

"Wait, what?" Mike finally jerks his head up from the file he was reading. "How did I get involved?"

"Rachel needs Harvey to occupy you so you don't bug her all day out of boredom," says Donna as though it were entirely obvious.

Mike looks genuinely offended, "I don't do that!"

"And I didn't sign up to puppy sit all day," Harvey feels the need to interject.

"Hey!" Mike squeaks indignantly.

"Need I remind you that you really aren't in a position of power right now?" Donna points a finger at Harvey with a glare. "And don't worry. I'm sure you'll find some way to entertain yourselves."

With that, she sashays out of the room with an extra energetic sway to her hips that Harvey finds himself inevitably drawn to.

"Well, you handled that well," Mike interrupts Harvey's staring.

"Oh, and you would've done so much better?" he throws back.

"Absolutely, I would have," Mike replies.

Harvey cocks an eyebrow, "Care to explain how?"

"Well," says Mike, "for starters, I wouldn't have been using half my brainpower to try and undress her with my eyes."

"Get out," Harvey practically growls, and opens his laptop, refusing to look up as Mike walks by with a chuckle, shutting the glass door behind him.

1:00 on Saturday afternoon finds Harvey, Mike, and Rosie standing on Casey Tanner's front porch, waiting for someone to answer the door for them. Rosie's holding a red gift bag stuffed with tissue paper and whatever it is that eleven-year-old boys want for their birthday (Harvey really couldn't care less), and Mike is shuffling his feet anxiously, while Harvey stares at his shoelaces. It takes a good while for the door to open, and when it finally does, there's a blonde woman around Harvey's age with a big smile and a plastic cup in her hand.

"Hi," she greets warmly. "Rosie, I'm so glad you could make it."

Harvey wonders briefly how the woman knows her already, but then he realizes these suburban private school housewives are always so invested in their kids' schools that she probably sees more of Rosie than he does these days.

"Me too," Rosie smiles back. "Where should I put Casey's present?"

"I'll take care of that for you, sweetie," she says, taking the gift bag from Rosie's hand and ushering them all forward. "Come in, come in."

Harvey and Mike reluctantly take a few steps into the foyer while the woman shows Rosie where the rest of the kids are in the backyard and she runs away without so much as a glance back.

"I'm Sally," the woman reaches a hand out for Harvey then Mike to shake. "Are either of you Rosie's dad?"

"Oh, we're friends with her mom," Mike shoots off before Harvey can go into a mild panic. "I'm Mike and this is Harvey. Donna and my fiancé had girls day planned, and we got stuck with kid duty."

Sally laughs, "Oh, that's just how it is sometimes. It's great meeting you both. I know my husband is around here somewhere. He was grilling hotdogs for the kids outside, but I think he came in. Let me just go grab him…"

She trails off and turns away just as Harvey goes to say that it's really unnecessary.

Just as she walks into the next room, he hears a shout of, "Travis!"

It hits him the same moment it hits Mike, and he knows because they both turn to each other, eyes wide, and the moment Mike opens his mouth to comment on it, he's rounding the corner of the room, eyes on them and wicked smile planted across his face like the Grinch.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Batman and Robin."

Harvey feels his eyes roll so far back in his head it hurts.

"Here to drop off your girlfriend's kid, Harv?" Tanner goads him.

"Knock it off, Tanner," Mike groans. "This is your son's birthday party, so let's try not to start anything."

"Oh, so you let the puppy off his leash for once," Tanner smirks at Harvey.

"Look—"

Harvey is instantly cut off by Sally rushing back into the foyer.

"Travis, I need your help outside. The kids have gotten one of the swings all twisted and none of us ladies can reach to undo it."

Tanner gives Harvey one last scowl before following his wife out to the backyard, and Harvey watches out of the corner of his eye as Mike has to bite his lip to keep from snorting.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Harvey groans as soon as the Tanners are gone. "I'm not leaving Rosie here."

"He's not gonna hurt her," Mike reasons, though it's minimal effort at best because they both really have no idea what lengths Tanner would go to to get to Harvey.

"I'm calling Donna," Harvey says, and then he does just that.

He gets sent to voicemail three times before using Mike's phone to call Rachel, who hands her phone over to Donna. There's a brief argument about their spa day being interrupted, but another, longer argument about the fact that Donna actually knew who Casey's father was and didn't feel it necessary to mention. Harvey is about two seconds away from pulling the dad card, even though he knows it is going to make her mad when suddenly the line goes dead.

"She hung up on me," Harvey says more to himself than Mike, staring at the phone.

"That's surprising," Mike retorts in a tone that conveys he isn't surprised in the least.

Harvey gives him his phone back, which he stuffs in his pocket before doing a quick look around the room.

"You know what we should do?" he says, gaze pointed towards the stairs. "We should go find dirt on Tanner."

"What are you?" Harvey looks at him with distaste. "Nancy Drew?"

"Come on," Mike urges. "You can't honestly say you're not a little bit curious."

"I really couldn't care less what he's got hiding around here."

"All I'm saying is, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Mike points out, gesturing to their surroundings with a little evil grin.

"I am not stalking Travis Tanner in his own home."

"Okay," Mike shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "but it's either that or sharing lemonade and chicken nuggets with the PTA moms on the back porch."

Harvey considers this for a moment, glancing out at the sliding door to the backyard, then once again at the house.

"Get upstairs."

Harvey somewhat reluctantly follows Mike up the staircase and into the depths of Travis Tanner's home. Despite knowing anything they find in here could never be brought up in court, Harvey allows his friend to peruse the various drawers and bathroom cabinets, making up stupid stories for random items he finds. Mike conjures up a tale about Sally being a Soviet spy who's had plastic surgery to appear younger and is holding Tanner hostage in his own home. Harvey laughs along with it all, against his better judgment, but indulging himself nonetheless. He's had a rough time of it lately, and he and Mike have been a bit at odds over the last year or so, but it feels good to let loose with his best friend every once in a while. He wonders for a moment if Donna had set them up on purpose, but realizes very quickly that of course she had because she's Donna and she's always known what he needed long before he does.

They have to duck into a closet at one point to avoid being seen by one of the PTA moms, and they have to hold themselves together for several minutes until she exits the hall bathroom and retreats back down the stairs. After realizing the Tanners probably think they've left, they decide to sneak out the front door and spend the rest of the party hiding out in the car until it's time to retrieve Rosie and go.

A few minutes later, they're listening to the radio playing "Jack and Diane" and reminiscing over the time they got high and peed in Louis's office.

"I don't think I've ever seen him as mad as he was that next day," Mike chuckles.

"That's because you didn't seem him the night he found out about you," Harvey points out, killing the mood a bit.

Mike nods slowly, "Donna was pretty shaken up that night. She called me crying."

Harvey whips his head over to look at him, "She was crying?"

"Yeah," Mike says, avoiding his eyes. "I felt awful, knowing she was so upset and it was my fault."

"It wasn't," Harvey argues. "I didn't think she'd call you crying. I thought I talked her down after..."

Mike shrugs, "I dunno."

In the next moment, Harvey does something so out of character that if he'd thought about it for even a split second longer, he most definitely wouldn't have, but maybe it's because his heart feels a little lighter today, and because they've been acting like teenagers all afternoon, but he looks over at Mike and says, "You were right the other day."

"I'm sorry?" Mike jerks his head up as though in shock.

"You were right," Harvey repeats. "About Donna. All that stuff you said about me not being ready to admit it to myself. I keep thinking the more I push it out of my mind, it'll just go away, but it doesn't, and I think that scares me more than anything else."

Mike doesn't say anything, but he stares at him with an intensity that urges Harvey on even further.

"It's just...if Rosie weren't involved, it would be easier, I think, to just ignore it all, but having a kid in the middle of it, it makes everything so much more complicated. The stakes are higher, you know? In order to distance myself from Donna, I have to distance myself from Rosie, and I can't. I _can't_."

"Yeah," Mike nods slowly.

"She told me I was too afraid to risk anything," Harvey adds. "When we argued. Before she left me. I told her it was because we had everything, but I know that's not the reason. It's because they're too much of a risk. I'm not the person they need right now, and I tried to fool myself into thinking maybe one day I would be, but the longer it takes, the more I'm starting to realize I might never be."

"Harvey—"

"Don't try to tell me that's not true. You know me, Mike."

They exchange a long, heavy look before Mike sighs.

"Let me ask you something. If Rosie weren't involved, would you be willing to risk it?"

Harvey chuckles humorlessly, "I don't know. Maybe. But it doesn't really matter, does it? Because she is involved, and she's my kid, and I can't lose her."

"I know," Mike agrees. "And you're right. I do know you. And if I ever think you _are_ in the place you need to be, is it okay if I let you know?"

"I'd appreciate that," Harvey smiles genuinely. "And I know it kinda goes without saying, but you can't tell anyone any of this, not even Rachel."

"Goes without saying."

They take Rosie home just a little while later, head back to Harvey's, and spend the rest of the afternoon playing board games and listening to her explain every single piece of drama involving her friends at school. They meet Donna and Rachel at a burger place a few streets over for dinner around 7:00. Their meal is full of laughs and Donna stealing Harvey's fries and Mike drinking too much caffeine and plenty more stories (both new and old). They haven't had a chance to hang out like this in what feels like a year, and Harvey isn't sure when the next opportunity will arise, so he tries to savor it as much as he can in this moment. He imagines for a second that it could always be like this because to him, this is family.

That's what he tells Mike months later when he gives him that speech about family before resigning. He says Mike wasn't the only person to get a family out of this deal and he means it. He watches him walk out of his office door with a heavy heart and eyes a little misty, even though he'd never admit it. He spends the next little while deep in concentration, wondering just how to move on from here. Even when Jessica pays him a visit and he relays the news to her, he can't help but wish Donna were the one sitting there instead. She'd know exactly what to say to let him brood while giving him the hope he needs to start moving on. But she's been going home earlier since she started working for Louis, so she was probably already home and getting Rosie to sleep by now. He considers calling her for a moment, even goes to pull out his phone when Rachel comes bursting into his office.

And then everything changes.

**This is far from my best work but the next chapter is my favorite part of this story, and it's already half-written so hopefully, the wait will be much shorter and make up for this sorry excuse for a chapter. Review if you want, I guess. I crave validation and support.**


	8. Anatome

**Look at her! The longest and the fastest update?** **Told y'all this would be a quick one. It's a little bit The Patriot, a little bit Hope Floats, and even a little Darvey if you squint. But mostly, this is the chapter from which this fic was born, so treat it kindly, please. It's my baby.**

**Side note: Abbey deserves the world for putting up with me, and this chapter is dedicated solely to her for being there to support me since the moment I pitched her the idea for this story, and I gave her this little tidbit.**

"_Don't be yourself_

_Be someone else, and let it grow"_

Rosie is jolted awake by someone nudging her rather violently. She's groggy and barely even conscious when she begins to make out her mother's voice. Opening her eyes to see Donna standing over her, face urgent and visibly shaken.

"Mom?" she grunts, squinting at the light of her bedside lamp.

"Rosie, get up. We have to go."

"Go where?" Rosie asks.

"I'll explain in the cab, but I need you to get up. Come on."

"Cab?" Rosie mumbles as her mother practically drags her out of the bed by her arm. "What time is it?"

"Late," Donna says abruptly. "I just need you to grab a coat and come with me. Answers later."

"But—"

Rosie doesn't get to finish because her mother is already rushing out of the room, leaving her with nothing to do but follow her orders. In her half-asleep state, she doesn't think much about it, but if she'd been more aware, she would've noticed immediately that something was terribly wrong, or her mother wouldn't have brushed her off so quickly. She has always taken time to explain things to Rosie, never treated her like she wasn't worthy of explanation.

It isn't until ten minutes later when they've finally hailed a cab and buckled themselves in that Rosie gets her first clue when Donna gives the driver Mike and Rachel's address.

"Why are we going to Mike and Rachel's?" she asks. "Are you dropping me off? Is something wrong with Harvey?"

Her mother gives her a look that she can't interpret, but which looks a lot like sympathy.

"No," Donna says. "Nothing is wrong with Harvey, and I'm not dropping you off. I'm staying too."

"Oh," Rosie replies, suddenly even more confused.

"Look, Rosie," Donna sighs, and places a hand on her leg in a way that is meant to be comforting but honestly just scares her. "I have a lot to explain to you in a very short amount of time, and it's going to be a little confusing and pretty shocking, but I just need you to let me get through it and save whatever questions you have until the end. Okay?"

"Okay," Rosie nods, eyes wide, but unwavering.

And for the rest of the ride to Mike and Rachel's she listens as her mother tells her everything: how Harvey had hired Mike without a degree, how Mike had been faking his entire law school experience this whole time, how Louis had found out his secret and used it as leverage, how Jessica had almost fired him, how he'd finally decided to resign and turn over a new leaf, and how he'd been arrested that same night. Just as they pull up on the curb outside their destination, Donna turns to Rosie, entirely serious.

"I know it's a lot to process, and I'm willing to talk you through whatever you need to help you, but not tonight. Tonight, I have to be here for Rachel, and you have to put whatever you're feeling aside and stay out of it. Tomorrow you can be scared and angry and confused, and I promise I will help you through it all, but Rachel needs me more than you do right now, and that's just the way that it is."

Rosie nods immediately, not fully comprehending because she is only ten, after all, but her mother has never given her a reason to doubt her in all those years, so she does as she's told, and follows her up the familiar path to the apartment she now knows holds only Rachel.

As soon as Rachel opens the door for them, she's flinging her arms around Donna and choking on tears that Rosie so badly wishes she didn't have to see, but she stays put and waits until their muffled conversation of hurried pleasantries and assurances to be over before pushing through the doorway into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

Rachel and Donna breeze past her into the kitchen and get right down to business, causing Rosie to wonder if Rachel really noticed her presence at all. It isn't long before she realizes this isn't going to be a quick visit, and she pulls out her phone to keep herself occupied. It's fairly new and she hasn't got many games, but she has enough to keep her attention while she does her best to avoid eavesdropping. She catches most of it, though, and it's honestly hard to wrap her mind around because it had all been thrown at her so quickly that she doesn't really have time to process. She hadn't failed to notice from her phone that it was now after midnight, and she wonders if she's still going to school tomorrow, but she doesn't dare to interrupt her mother to ask, so she decides she might as well try and take a little nap in case she does have to wake up bright and early tomorrow.

She falls asleep to the sound of her mother promising Rachel that Harvey will find a way to get them all out of this.

She's woken later to another, gentler shove of her shoulder than she had been earlier. This time she's less disoriented and confused, but opens her eyes to see Rachel instead of her mother.

"Hey," says Rachel.

"Hi," Rosie manages to reply through a yawn.

"Your mom went to the bathroom, but she wanted me to tell you that you're getting ready to leave."

"What time is it?" Rosie asks again.

"About 1:00," Rachel tells her. "Sorry you aren't getting much sleep tonight."

"It's okay," Rosie assures her. "I'm more worried about you."

Rachel smiles sadly, "Don't be. Your mom and Harvey are taking good care of me. You just worry about you."

"I'll try," Rosie sighs just as her mother appears from the hall.

"You ready?" Donna asks.

"Yeah."

Rachel walks them to the door, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek with a sincere thanks before she locks the door behind them.

"You meant what you said, right?" Rosie asks Donna on their way to the elevator. "Harvey is gonna take care of this just like he always does?"

Donna doesn't look at her directly, keeps her gaze pointed straight ahead, and says, "Yeah. He has to."

But Rosie isn't sure which one of them she's trying to convince more.

Donna doesn't make her go to school the next day. It's a combination of the fact that neither of them slept and the fact that it's a Tuesday, so Jenna's off and Donna doesn't know exactly when and where she'll be needed. At least, that's what Rosie is told. What she really thinks, though, is that her mother wants her close to her side even if just for today. So she gets dragged along to the office around 10:00, and then to Harvey's house during Donna's lunch break because he's yet to show his face and Gretchen claims he's taking a sick day, but they both know better than that.

"Hey, Shortstop," is Harvey's immediate reaction upon opening the door for them. "What are you doing here?"

"Gretchen told us you weren't feeling well," Donna replies before Rosie can say anything. "So we dropped by to see how you were doing and tell you to cut the crap."

She pushes her way into Harvey's apartment, and he immediately turns to follow, so Rosie trails behind, shutting the door as she watches them make their way to the kitchen.

"I don't understand," says Harvey.

"You've never taken a sick day in your life, and Mike just got arrested, so I want to know what's going on," Donna replies as she throws her purse onto the countertop.

Rosie takes a seat at one of the barstools while Harvey positions himself on the other side of the island and sighs without looking at them, "I can't be in the office right now."

"Why not?" Donna prods.

"Because I resigned," Harvey shoots back, turning to look her square in the eye.

Rosie's jaw immediately drops in shock, but Donna doesn't miss a beat.

"Why? Because of Mike?"

"Because it's the only way to get Forstman to back off."

This veers slightly into unfamiliar territory, but Rosie continues to watch in silence as her mother argues with her former boss.

"I don't care about Forstman. You're leaving the firm when we need you most?"

"Donna, right now I have to stay away from the office," Harvey tells her forcefully, "but I'm not leaving anyone. I'm representing Mike."

Well, duh.

"So you saw him?" Donna asks, and this piques Rosie's interest.

"Last night."

"And?"

"He's hanging in," Harvey shrugs, and Rosie is immediately reminded of the mental image she's had of Mike in a jail cell for the past twelve hours. "I just need this bail hearing to go smoothly."

"What do you mean go smoothly? What's going on?"

"The prosecutor's playing hardball. She's trying to keep him without bail."

"Harvey, Rachel is not doing well," Donna says, voice dropping the slightest almost as though if she were quieter, Rosie might not notice, but it's a futile attempt. "You need to get him out of there."

Harvey pauses for a moment, pursing his lips, then says, "Then I need you to get something from the office for me."

Donna nods, "What is it?"

"His resignation letter. It's on my desk. I didn't even have a chance to do anything with it before—"

"Done," Donna interrupts. "I'll meet you at the courthouse with it?"

"Yeah," Harvey nods.

Donna grabs her purse, and Rosie jumps up to follow, but then her mother gives her a weird look.

"I can't take Rosie with me."

"What?" Rosie asks at the same time Harvey says, "Why not?"

"Louis," Donna huffs. "He came by last night to tell me about Mike and made me promise I wouldn't get involved, that I'd stay out of it and away from you. If he sees me anywhere near your office, he'll throw a fit, and I'll be ten times more obvious with her trailing along."

"Just leave her here," says Harvey.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not a toddler, Mom," Rosie butts in.

"Okay," Donna concedes. "I'll see you at the courthouse."

She gives Rosie's shoulder a squeeze and leaves the penthouse without another word.

"So how are you holding up?" Harvey asks her once her mother is gone, and Rosie realizes it's the first time during this whole debacle that anyone has actually asked her how she felt.

"Honestly? I'm not really sure."

"That's okay," he assures her. "It's a lot to process all at once. But we've got some time now if you want to talk about anything with me."

Rosie ponders this for a moment, trying to come up with any questions she might have, but comes up short. It's so much that she doesn't even know where to start. The only thing she really keeps coming back to is how scared she is.

"What happens if they find him guilty?"

She regrets the question the minute it's out there, but then it's too late, and she can see the way it affects Harvey because it's obvious that's the last thing he wanted to talk about, but he takes a deep breath and answers it anyway.

"Then he goes to prison," he tells her candidly. "And we spend every second after that doing our best to get him out of there."

Rosie nods, but she isn't satisfied.

"But we aren't going to think that way yet," Harvey tells her.

"He's guilty, though," Rosie blurts. "Of all the things they're accusing him for. And so are you, and Mom, and Rachel and...you're all guilty, and I don't want you to go to prison because I need you all here, but you did do it, and you're going to have to go in there and lie and tell them you didn't when you did, and I don't understand how any of it is fair. It's not fair that Mike should go to prison because his family is here, but it isn't fair that he should just get away with it either, is it?"

Harvey stays silent for a long while, and she realizes she's been sitting on that one ever since her mother told her everything in the cab last night. She hadn't fully developed the thoughts in her brain until this exact moment, but that just about sums it up. So she waits for Harvey to formulate a response and hopes it's enough to help her understand just exactly what they're fighting for here.

"You're right," he sighs, moving around the kitchen island to take a seat at the barstool next to her. "It isn't fair, and we are guilty. We broke the law, and we shouldn't have, but I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone before, and you have to promise me you'll never tell anyone, especially Mike."

"What?"

"He's one of the best lawyers I've ever known. And not because he has a photographic memory or because he wins lots of cases but because he genuinely wants to see the good in people. The justice system is a mess, and most of the people who make it through law school to get where I am are pretty jaded, and it stops being about true justice anymore. And maybe it's because he never went to Harvard or maybe it's just who he is, but Mike isn't like that. He's doing this for all the right reasons, even if he came into it in all the wrong ways. Does that help?"

"Yeah," Rosie nods. And it really does.

The next day, it's business as usual. Rosie goes to school, and she swears Alice to secrecy before spilling everything to her. She knows if her mother knew she told her, she'd be in so much trouble, but she thinks for once she ought to be able to talk to someone about it that knows just about as much as she does and isn't involved at all.

"Wow," says Alice when she's finally through. "That's...a lot."

"I know," Rosie sighs. "And the worst part is the waiting, you know? Just sitting around hoping that everything is going to turn out okay, but I just can't know for sure."

"Whatever happens, I'm here for you," Alice promises, giving her hand a little squeeze. "You know that, right?"

"Always."

She feels a million times lighter after that. Harvey's explanation and Alice's reassurance, as little as they'd been, gave her the freedom to breathe easier at least. She wasn't worried about Mike being guilty and she had someone on her team, which made things okay, even if only for a little while. She spends the afternoon catching up on her work from the day before, putting Mike out of her mind for the time being, and she's in the best mood she's been in for the last forty-eight hours when Donna gets home from work and tells her to grab her coat.

"What for?" Rosie asks, immediately beginning to panic again.

"We," Donna says, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, "are going to Harvey's tonight."

"Why? Is something wrong with Mike?"

"No," Donna smiles, squashing most of Rosie's concerns. "I just have something I have to do. But I think you're gonna be pretty happy about it."

Rosie tilts her head slightly, "What is it?"

"You'll see," her mother says with a little raise of her eyebrows.

About half an hour later, they're seated on the couch in Harvey's den, waiting for him to come home when Donna points out the cactus they'd given him had taken a new place on his coffee table. Rosie laughs, commenting that she's surprised it's made it this long. They sit in comfortable silence for a while, Rosie knowing better than to pester Donna for answers as to why they're here and eagerly awaiting Harvey's arrival.

When she finally hears his key in the door, she's forgotten all about the cactus, but it's the first thing her mother mentions when he rounds the corner.

"It's still alive," she points out.

"Did you think I would let it die?" he counters.

"No, but I thought you might give it away," she retorts.

"Well, I'm more sentimental than you think," Harvey shoots back. "How'd you get in here?"

"Jessica told me how when I told her what I was coming here to do," says Donna.

Harvey glances at Rosie as though hoping for some insight, but gets none.

"And what is that?" he asks.

"You need me," Donna tells him. "Because as good as Gretchen is, she can't be a part of this, and you know it."

"You saying you're coming back to me?" Harvey begins to smile.

Rosie turns to look at her mother, not wanting to get her hopes up, but the look in Donna's eyes is more than enough to make her heart soar even before the answer falls from her lips.

"Yes. I am."

Rosie looks quickly back at Harvey, watches the corners of his mouth lift in a full smile as he says, "Good."

"Good," Donna nods, and there's a vibe there, Rosie can feel it, as palpable as the couch she's sitting on. She remembers the conversation she had with Rachel months ago because it's moments like this when she wishes they'd just stop being idiots and kiss already, but this isn't the time to say anything. And for now, she'll take what she can get, at least.

"It's not too late yet," Harvey adds. "What do you say we order a pizza and find something on TV?"

"Can we, Mom?" Rosie pleads, wanting desperately for this feeling of being whole not to end quite yet.

Donna sighs, "I guess so. As long as we're out of here by 9:30. I don't want you up past 10:00 another night this week."

Rosie practically holds back a squeal, "That's still a whole hour and a half."

"Better hurry and order that pizza then," Donna says to Harvey, who nods and reaches into his pocket for his phone.

"I want pepperoni, but ask for those little yellow tomatoes," Rosie instructs as he scrolls through his contacts for Gianno's.

"Yellow tomatoes?" Harvey makes a face. "You know those used to be your mom's favorite until she got pregnant with you. Hasn't touched one since. I thought I was done with those things for good."

"Guess you're stuck with them until _I'm_ pregnant," Rosie teases.

"Which will be a very, _very_ long way into the future," Harvey replies, face deadly serious.

Rosie rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything else, letting him place the order and falling back against the couch.

The pizza takes about thirty minutes to make its way to them, by which point they're all very invested in an Everybody Loves Raymond rerun on Nick. They eat in the den, too busy laughing and enjoying their show to pause it, and Harvey almost spills the glasses of water he pours for them while attempting to carry three at once, which only makes the girls laugh even harder. For a small little fraction of a second, Rosie wonders if this is what her life would be like if she'd had a chance to know her father. It's a fleeting thing, something she's grown enough now to recognize as a childhood fantasy, but it's there, and she can't pretend it isn't.

For the next little while, things are normal. Or as normal as they can be, considering. Rosie's routine stays intact for the most part, and Donna seems happier now that she's back working with her best friend, which is something that doesn't escape Rosie's notice. It isn't until the day of the trial that things go horribly wrong.

Rosie wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near the courthouse that day. She had a science test she had been studying hard for, so there was no discussion of her skipping school for the trial. At least, there wasn't until about five minutes before they were supposed to walk out the door.

She has trouble getting her breakfast down that morning. It isn't entirely unusual, but it feels worse somehow in a way she can't even begin to explain. She feels nauseous, but not the kind of nauseous you get when you're about to throw up, just the _other_ kind. And everything her mother is saying sounds sort of funny, but not the kind of funny like when you're having trouble hearing, just the _other_ kind. And then her chest gets a bit tight, but not the kind of tight like you feel when you're emotional, just the _other_ kind. She's felt it all before but never all at once, not this much, not like this. She gets up from the table abruptly, as though that's gonna help, tells her mom she's going to the bathroom, but when she gets there, her breathing starts getting funny. She doesn't know how long she's in there, but apparently it's too long because Donna comes banging on the door telling her to hurry up, but she can't find the voice to reply.

Her mom is yelling, yelling, _yelling_, and then bursting through the door, and Rosie's breath is definitely really funny now and she's not nauseous anymore really but her heart is beating so fast and she can't get it to stop and the whole world feels so strange that she can't get a grip on her thoughts or anything or why this is happening and what if she's dying right now, like this, in her bathroom. What if she's dying? What if—

"Rosie!"

Her mom is calling her even though she's standing right there, and she doesn't know why, but she thinks in her head that she needs Harvey. Somehow it's the only thing that makes sense right now, so she manages as best she can to say his name, that she needs his voice, and then her mother is calling him.

He answers, annoyance in his tone because obviously, this isn't a good time, but even just the sound of his voice calms her the slightest bit, enough to take the phone from Donna and stutter his name.

"Shortstop, what's the matter?" he instantly grows soft.

"I can't...I can't…" Rosie struggles. "I feel...I can't…"

"Donna," Harvey calls, now on speakerphone. "What's going on?"

Donna hurriedly explains Rosie's odd behavior to him, and she hears Harvey breathe out, "She's okay. She's just having a panic attack."

"A panic attack?" Donna echoes.

"Yeah," Harvey replies. "It'll go away after a while, but my therapist taught me some tricks. Hey, Shortstop, you listening to me?"

"Uh huh," Rosie mumbles.

"I'm going to talk you through this, okay?"

"Kay."

"I need you to look around the room and tell me five things you can see."

"W-what?"

"Just any five things you can see. I know it sounds stupid, but just work with me, okay?"

"Uh," Rosie stammers. "Well, there's...my mom."

"Good," Harvey urges. "Keep going."

"And uh...the shower. My shoes. My toothbrush, and um...myself, in the mirror."

"Great," says Harvey. "Now give me four things you can touch."

"My pants. The sink. The hand towel. And the phone."

"Okay, now three things you can hear."

"Well," Rosie starts. "There's you. The clock ticking, on the wall. And Mom breathing."

"Two things you can smell."

"Mom's perfume, the Dior kind you got her for her birthday, And syrup. I can still smell the syrup from our pancakes at breakfast."

"Last thing: something you can taste."

Rosie looks around the room but comes up short.

"I can't find anything," she tells Harvey. "If I say my skin, you're not going to make me lick myself, are you?"

Harvey chuckles, "No. I'll let you off the hook with that one."

"Okay."

"Can you tell me how you're feeling now?"

"Better," says Rosie. "My heart isn't beating so fast anymore."

"Good. Breathing easier?"

"Uh huh."

"Not so nauseous?"

"No."

"Looks like we won this one, then."

Rosie smiles, "Yeah. Thank you, Harvey."

"No problem," he sighs. "Can you take me off of speaker so I can talk to your mom?"

"Yeah," Rosie does so and takes a seat on the closed toilet while Donna finishes the conversation with Harvey and hangs up.

"Okay," Donna says. "Would you feel better today if you came to the trial with me? Or do you think that would make it worse?"

"Better, I think," Rosie says, realizing her panic had, in fact, stemmed from her anxiety over Mike and her uselessness in this whole scenario.

Without another word, Donna helps her find an outfit more suitable for court than her school clothes, and the two head off to the courthouse.

When they arrive, Donna leaves Rosie with Rachel to go do something for Harvey, so Rosie ends up on Rachel's bench when they take their seats. She notices her mother come in later and sit on the other side with Jessica, talking with her in hushed tones, but by that time it's too late to walk over, so she stays put, knowing Rachel could probably use some support as well.

The beginning of the trial goes about how she expected it to go: boring and confusing. She can't keep up with half the words they're using, even though she knows more than the average ten-year-old having half grown up in a law firm. She doesn't even bother listening to most of what they're saying until it's time to start calling witnesses. They call up some guy who was apparently Mike's old roommate, and Rosie watches with renewed interest and anxiety as the lady they call Gibbs gets the guy to say it was basically impossible for Mike to have gone to Harvard, and she squeezes Rachel's hand. But Harvey gets to question him next, and whatever he says practically disregards the man's entire testimony. Rosie gives him a smile when he turns around, but if he sees it, he doesn't acknowledge it. She's starting to feel a lot more confident when Gibbs says something that causes every muscle in her body to freeze.

"Your Honor, prosecution calls Donna Paulsen to the stand."

She hears Rachels' breath hitch at the same time her own heart stops. Her eyes glue themselves to her mother's figure as she works her way out of her seat and down the aisle, giving Rosie an encouraging little smile when she passes that looks fake and isn't returned.

Rosie squeezes Rachel's hand tighter, and this time Rachel squeezes right back.

Once Donna is settled in the witness stand, Rosie reminds herself of the trick Harvey taught her this morning. She focuses on that for a moment.

_Judge, benches, Harvey, Mom, shoes._

"Ms. Paulsen, it's my understanding that you arranged Mr. Specter's interviews for the position currently filled by Michael Ross, is that correct?"

_Ground, dress, wood seat, Rachels' hand._

"I assisted in the process, yes."

_Mom's voice, Gibbs' voice, Rachel's breathing._

"Did you find it suspicious that Mr. Ross wasn't listed on the Harvard class ranking from his first year?"

_My perfume, Rachel's perfume._

"No, I didn't."

_Harvey wouldn't mind if I used my own saliva for this one, right?_

"And why is that?"

"Because I have never been on any class ranking, and I'm the best legal secretary in the city."

_Go, Mom!_

"Wow, that's a quippy response, Ms. Paulsen. But if you were so good at your job, how would you allow someone who wasn't even on the interview list to get in a room alone with Harvey Specter? I'm sure you'll recognize this list. After all, you typed it up. And it looks like his name isn't on this one either."

"No, he wasn't on the list, but he was smart enough to talk his way in, which is what a good lawyer does and exactly what I was looking for."

_She's killing this._

"How exactly did he talk his way in?"

There's a beat. Rosie sees Harvey and Mike exchange a look.

Gibbs presses, "Answer the question, Ms. Paulsen."

"He took someone else's spot."

"You mean he said he was someone else. You're under oath, Ms. Paulsen. May I remind you that perjury carries a sentence of up to five years? Did he say he was someone else?"

"He said he was Rick Sorkin."

Rachel sighs heavily, and this time she squeezes Rosie's hand first.

"So your first introduction to Mr. Ross was as an imposter?"

"I didn't say that."

"You said he lied about what his name was. That makes him an imposter. Are you going to recant your testimony?"

Rosie watches her mother's desperate gaze fix on Harvey, and she just as she's hoping this is one of those times when they can have a whole conversation without words, Gibbs snaps her back.

"Don't look at him."

"No, I'm not recanting."

"Alright. So now we've established that Mr. Ross is a liar. Now it's time to see if you're a liar."

Rosie glances at Rachel, eyes wide and full of fear, but Rachel only swallows and keeps her eyes forward. Their hands are still locked tightly together.

"You have a daughter, don't you?" Gibbs says, and Rosie's breath catches.

Donna nods, "I do."

"Rosie, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"How old is she?"

"Ten."

"Correct me if I'm mistaken but I believe that was her I saw walking in with Ms. Zane this morning."

Rosie watches with slight horror as Gibbs points in her direction and the gaze of the entire courtroom shifts to her. Jessica gives her a look and rolls her shoulders back, motioning for Rosie to sit up straight, so she does.

"It was," Donna agrees.

"Beautiful girl. You must be very proud of her."

"I am."

"Where's her father today, Ms. Paulsen?"

Rosie swallows, squeezes Rachel's hand.

"It's okay," she whispers, but Rosie isn't so sure that it is.

The change in subject has caught her mother off guard just as much as it has her.

"He's...he um..."

"Answer the questions, Ms. Paulsen."

"Rosie doesn't know her father," Donna finally says, and Rosie doesn't fail to notice that it isn't a direct response.

"Oh, but that's not entirely true, is it? Because if I have my facts right, and I'm pretty certain I do, her father is in this very room, isn't he?"

Rosie looks at her mother, whose gaze briefly flickers to hers, then back to Gibbs.

"I—"

"Look, I'm not going to stand here and press you for the response to a question we both know the answer to, so I'll just cut right to the chase. Ms. Paulsen, is or is not Harvey Specter the father of your child?"

Suddenly, for Rosie, everything stops.

"Objection! Irrelevant!"

Harvey is jumping from his seat, shouting, but she can barely hear him.

"Rachel," she mumbles. "Why would she say that?"

Rachel's grip on her hand goes slack.

"Rachel."

Gibbs ignores Harvey, "It's perfectly relevant. Ms. Paulsen?"

A silence follows.

"Rachel, why won't she tell her it isn't true?" Rosie begs, eyes blurring because deep within her she already knows.

When Rachel doesn't give her the answer she needs, she turns to her mother. Their eyes meet for a longer moment than they have this entire time, and before Donna can say it, Rosie can see the answer written all over her face when she says, not to Gibbs, but directly to _her_.

"Yes."

"And so the truth finally comes out. If Mr. Specter and Ms. Paulsen could spend over a decade lying to their own child about her identity, just imagine what else they're hiding. The witness could be excused, Your Honor."

The second Gibbs is through, Rosie jumps from her seat and bolts for the door, not caring for once that everyone is staring right at her as she does so. She can feel the beginnings of another panic attack coming, so she locates the bathroom as quickly as possible and dashes inside as she hears Rachel calling for her.

She locks herself in the first stall and drops to the toilet seat, convulsing with sobs and the inability to catch her breath. This time, when the nausea comes, it's real, and she falls to her knees, throwing up right into the toilet to the sound of hurried footsteps echoing through the bathroom.

"Rosie," she hears Rachel call. "Are you okay?"

She manages a few more choked sobs once she's through puking, but no words. When she finally exits the stall, Rachel is there, arms open for her to fall into, and she doesn't think twice before doing so.

"Aw, sweetie," Rachel sniffles, holding her tight to her chest. "I'm so sorry."

Rosie waits and waits and waits for the words to come, but she can't find them, so she just lets Rachel rock her back and forth for the longest time, soaking her white blouse with tears she thinks just aren't ever going to stop.

"I don't...I don't even know...what I'm...crying about," she manages to stutter into Rachel's chest.

"I know," Rachel soothes, running a hand through Rosie's hair. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Rosie cries. "Why would they lie to me?"

Rachel says nothing, but the sound of more hurried footsteps instantly catches Rosie's attention. She looks up, albeit somewhat reluctantly, to see both her mother and Harvey standing at the entrance to the bathroom, eyes full of tears.

"Rosie," Donna starts. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to find out like this. I—"

"You never meant for me to find out at all!" Rosie screams back at her. "You were going to let me spend my whole life thinking my dad abandoned us when he was right there the whole time."

"Rosie—" Harvey tries.

"Don't!" she cuts him off before he can go any further. "You don't get to say anything. You're a liar. I _hate_ you. You let me grow up without a father because you didn't want to be one, and that's not fair. You're the worst dad ever, and you're definitely not mine."

"Rosie, please," Donna begs, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Let's just go home, and we can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk. I'm not going anywhere with either of you."

Rosie turns to look back at Rachel, holding onto her tighter.

"I don't want to go home, Rachel. Please don't make me. I want to go with you."

"Rosie, I don't know if—" Rachel starts, but Rosie notices her exchange a look with Harvey, where he nods shortly, and then Rachel turns back to her. "Okay. You can stay with us tonight. Let's go get Mike, okay?"

Rosie nods, finally releasing the death grip she'd had on her to wipe her face.

She tries not to make eye contact with either Donna or Harvey on their way out the door, but she catches a glimpse of her mother out of the corner of her eye just before she turns, and if the sight of her crumbling into Harvey's arms with a sob makes Rosie feel just a little bit proud of herself, well, she tries not to dwell on that.

Hours later, over dinner at Mike and Rachels, which is salad and pasta, Rosie gets the whole spiel from the perspective of the best friends. Since they'd both only found out after Rosie was born, the details of the earlier years aren't perfect, but they're enough for Rosie to understand everything she'd thought was, indeed, correct. Harvey had panicked, not known how to be a good father, and decided it was best that he keep his distance.

"That's crap," Rosie finally says. "He shouldn't have run away."

"No," Mike agrees with her. "He shouldn't have. But it's not crap. He didn't have a dad who was around much, and you know his relationship with his mom is practically nonexistent, so you can cut him some slack."

"But—"

"But nothing," Mike cuts her off, his voice stern and his gaze more serious than she's ever seen him get with her. "You have a right to be upset, but you don't have a right to call him a bad father because as much as what he did was wrong, he was doing what he thought was best for you."

Rosie turns to Rachel, hoping for some support, but she's just looking at her plate stoically, so Rosie huff indignantly and they finish their meal in silence.

She calls Alice later. She'd promised to be in her corner throughout this whole ordeal, and honestly, she just needs her best friend right now, so once again she spills everything to her. Alice listens mainly in silence while Rosie explains everything from her panic attack this morning to Mike and Rachel's explanation of it all only about an hour ago.

"I think Mike's being a little unfair, don't you?" she finally finishes.

There's a pause before Alice says, "I guess so."

"What do you mean you _guess_ so?" Rosie scoffs. "Have you been listening to anything I've been saying this entire time?"

"Yeah," Alice mumbles, detached.

"Then why don't you—"

"Rosie, look," Alice sighs. "What your parents did was messed up, okay? They shouldn't have done it. But it was a decision they made when you were what? Like, three minutes old?"

"Before I was born actually."

"Exactly my point. They had no idea how to be parents. They made a decision about the future that they thought was best, and it was a wrong one, but it was like eleven years ago."

"Eleven years ago, meaning they've been hiding it from me that entire time," Rosie adds. "They could've changed their minds any time, but they didn't."

"Yeah, well maybe that's because they knew you'd react like this," Alice retorts. Rosie can detect the bitterness she hadn't even bothered to cover.

"What are you...you're not...Alice!" she stutters. "You're my best friend. You're supposed to be on my side. Why can't you just—"

"I'm not on anyone's side, Rosie. I just think that you're overreacting a bit."

"Overreacting? Are you kidding me?"

"Rosie, you have no idea how much I wish that..."

She trails off, leaving Rosie to press her for more.

"Wish that what?" she asks, and is met with silence. "Alice, wish that what?"

"That I had two parents that love me as much as yours," her friend blurts.

Rosie's heart constricts the smallest bit, "Ali—"

"I'm serious, Rosie. Maybe you've only known Harvey as your father for less than a day, but no one with eyes would ever believe he doesn't love you. He adores you, Rosie. He'd do anything for you. You can't say that's not true. And your mom...she's sacrificed so much for you, and you have no idea."

"Alice, I—"

"Look, stay mad at them for the rest of your life or don't, I don't really care. But don't come to me looking for sympathy. Not about this."

"Okay," Rosie nods even though Alice can't see her. "You're right. I'm sorry. And for the record, you deserve better. You always have, and the way she treats you, that's not fair either."

"Yeah," Alice sighs. "Look, I've got some cleaning to do, so can we maybe talk more tomorrow?"

"Of course," Rosie tells her. "Love you."

"Love you too."

The call ends a second later, and Rosie falls back against the bed in Mike and Rachel's guest room feeling a bit chastised and worse than she had before she'd made the call.

Rachel takes her to school the next day, but she's told she'll be going back to her own apartment that night, which she's less than enthusiastic about. She barely talks to her mother for the next couple of days. She hides in her room most of the time when she's home and every time Donna tries to bring up something related to the trial or Harvey, Rosie shuts down completely. It's days before she sees him again, and oddly enough, it isn't purposeful. He comes over late that Friday night for some unknown reason, but Rosie isn't planning on stepping outside her bedroom in order to avoid seeing him. That changes when she hears the yelling. Donna and Harvey are arguing about something, and curious, she tiptoes out of her room to peek at them in the dining area. They're too busy going at each other to look in her direction, and she can see they've got two glasses of scotch on the table.

They definitely think she's asleep. They don't drink around her like this, and they certainly don't use some of the language she's heard them using tonight.

They're talking about prison. Someone's going. Rosie's pretty sure of that now. She can hear it in their voices too, but from what she can tell, it might not be Mike. Harvey wants it to be him. She isn't sure how all that works, but from what they're saying, it seems as though Harvey turns himself in, and Mike gets off free.

She listens as her mother tries to calm Harvey down, make him see reason, but the more it goes on, the angrier Harvey gets, and then they're really shouting, crying, even. She hears the tears in both their voices, and it hits a little place in her heart that she can't quite pinpoint. Last time she'd watched them cry, she'd done it on purpose. She'd wanted to break them, make them feel the hurt she was feeling, but this time something snaps.

Rosie had always heard in books and movies about having your life flash before your eyes as you're dying. She thought it was something of fantasy, something people said to create drama in a story. But in that moment, hearing Harvey talk about turning himself in, she wasn't dying, but boy did it feel like she was. And she saw her life flash before her eyes.

It wasn't her whole life, obviously. But it did include a lot of the important things: her first day of kindergarten, the night she had to have her appendix taken out, various birthdays, when she first met Mike, when she begged her mom for a fish and experienced losing a pet for the first time about a year later.

She notices a picture of her in Belle costume sitting on a shelf nearby and thinks about that specific Halloween. Her mom had always had Halloween off every year because it was their favorite holiday, and she wanted to be able to take Rosie trick-or-treating just like all the other kids. Harvey had never made a big deal out of it because he knew, but that year Donna got sick. She wasn't going to be able to take Rosie to get candy, and she'd tried not to seem disappointed, but she's been so excited about her costume that year that the thought of not getting to wear it made her really upset. A few hours later, Harvey showed up to their door with a bowl of soup and a very DIY best costume which she'd later found out Louis had helped him with. He'd given Donna the soup and then proceeded to take Rosie to every apartment door in their building that would open up for them, despite it being nearly 10:00 until her little pumpkin-shaped bucket was full of candy.

The memory brings unexpected tears to her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall. She tries to force herself to think about how he had abandoned her, left them on their own, not even bothering to give her the explanation she deserved, but when she looks back on all those moments, she knows it isn't true. He had never abandoned her. He'd always been right there, as best he could be, and the thought of experiencing two years' worth of milestones without him there to celebrate her wins and mourn her losses, it's enough to make the rest fall away.

Just as she feels as though she has to do something, her parents' voices fade away into footsteps, and Harvey must be about to head home, so she doesn't even think when she bolts from her hiding place and into the dining room where Harvey is just about to reach the door.

"Harvey, don't go!" she shouts.

Both adults whip around to face her, eyes wide, holding tears.

"Please don't go," she begs, and then she's running the distance across the foyer and flinging herself at him, her own tears pouring out so suddenly she couldn't hold them back even if she tried.

Harvey catches her, he always does, and he's holding her tight to him, even as she mumbles what she feels must be complete gibberish into his suit.

"I'm sorry I called you a liar. I'm sorry I yelled at you. And I'm so, so sorry I called you an awful dad. You're not. You're the best dad in the whole entire world, and I need you here. Please don't leave me. Please."

She chokes a bit on the last word, fully crying now that she's lost the ability to speak, and it's a horrific and raw sound even to her own ears. She feels Harvey crush her even further against him, hands gripping her neck and holding her head in place.

"I won't leave you," he assures her, choking on his own tears. "I'm not leaving. I'll never, _ever_ leave you."

Once she's collected herself enough to pull back and look at him directly—two sets of identical brown eyes mirroring bloodshot gazes—she feels her lip quiver uncontrollably, but somehow finds the strength to murmur a soft, "P-promise?"

Harvey purses his lips and nods shortly in that way he always does when he's too emotional for much else.

"Promise."

Days later, when Mike and Harvey climb into the car outside of the church, she's dressed in the princess outfit Rachel promised her she'd get to wear, holding a bouquet of daisies screaming Mike's name while Rachel clutches her tight to her chest and cries, but it isn't Harvey, and somehow she thinks she's going to be okay.

**aaaaand there we have it. I'll be back soon with some season 6 magic.**

**(and I'd love some reviews. they make my heart happy.)**


	9. Ontario

**I felt like I needed to get this out there because the world is chaos right now. Like, that doesn't directly correlate in any sense except in my head, but here. Take this. Whatever it is. I couldn't begin to tell you. **

**I'm dedicating this to my grandma. Not my actual grandma, because she died, but the other one. I love her, and she's going through it, so. Anyways.**

"_All your love overgrown_

_All your body undersold_

_All above, all your waiting coming home"_

"I'm bored."

Harvey looks up from his phone to the seat across from him at the pouting ten-year-old staring at him.

"I'm sorry," he replies, but with zero sincerity.

"Can we play a game or something?"

"What kind of game?" he asks, intrigued.

She shrugs, "I don't know. I'm just bored."

"So you said."

"Harvey," she whines.

"Rosie," he whines back mockingly.

"Do you have to work right now?" she groans. "Just talk to me or something. This is taking _forever_."

"It's four hours, Shortstop," he shakes his head. "I told you, two movies."

"I couldn't find any good ones," she says with a sigh. "The only one I wanted to see was Finding Dory, but it's still only in theaters."

"I can take you to see it when we get home," Harvey offers.

"That's okay," Rosie sighs, and before he can ask why she adds a soft, "Mike was going to take me, so I think I'll just wait on him if that's alright."

Harvey gives her a sympathetic smile that she doesn't return, "I understand."

"I miss him, Harvey," she admits sadly.

"I know. I miss him too," Harvey tells her in a moment of pure honesty. "Which is why you should let me get back to what I was doing, so I can keep working on getting him out of there."

Rosie rolls her eyes, "I don't think four hours is gonna make a difference. Besides, you promised Mom no work this weekend."

Harvey smirks, "I promised her no work in _Boston_. We're not in Boston yet, hotshot."

"Lawyers," Rosie scoffs, looking pointedly out the window, and Harvey chuckles.

"Okay, okay," he concedes. "No more work. You're right. There's nothing I can do for Mike right now. But no games, let's just talk."

"Talk about what?"

"I don't know. Whatever you want to talk about. Hit me with your worst. I can't run away from you here."

Rosie seems to consider this for a moment before deciding.

"Let's tell each other the deep stuff."

"Deep stuff?" Harvey asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, you know, the kind of stuff _daughter_ Rosie should know about Harvey but _friend_ Rosie doesn't."

Harvey smiles, "And what kind of stuff would that be exactly?"

"The deep stuff," she repeats emphatically. "Like what side of the bed you sleep on, and whether you're a shower in the morning or shower at night kind of person, and if you eat dinner at the table or on the couch."

Harvey chuckles, "_That_ deep stuff, huh? Well, I sleep on the right side of the bed, I shower in the mornings after I go running-"

"You _run_?"

"-and since I'm usually alone for dinner, I eat on the couch, while I watch Netflix."

"Figures," Rosie scoffs. "Favorite show on Netflix?"

"The West Wing, hands down," he replies instantly.

"Never heard of it."

"That's because it's way too mature for your ten-year-old brain to handle."

It's Rosie's turn to raise her eyebrows, "What's it about?"

"It's a political drama about the people who work in the West Wing of the White House."

"Political drama?" Rosie laughs out loud. "You don't even like politics."

"No, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good Martin Sheen show when I see one."

"Who's Martin Sheen?"

"Okay, I'm done with this one. Your turn. What's your side of the bed?"

"Right, but you already knew that," Rosie sighs. "You've tucked me in, like, a billion times since I was little."

"Fair. Night or morning shower?"

"Night."

"And I assume your mother makes you eat dinner at the table?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes we eat pizza on the couch and watch Project Runway."

"Sounds about right," Harvey nods.

"Harvey," Rosie murmurs, and he can tell immediately that she's switched from playful banter to introspective just in the way she says his name. "While we're, ya know, talking about the deep stuff. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"The morning of the trial, when I was having those panic attacks, how did you know so much about them?"

Harvey sighs. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't seen this coming for a while now, but he'd also be lying if he said in all that time he'd managed to put together a good response. How do you tell your kid that they're messed up for the rest of their life because of you?

"Remember when I told you I learned those tricks from my therapist?" he asks, figuring he can ease into the heavy stuff. "She taught me all about them when I started seeing her about a year ago."

"When Mom left you?" Rosie adds, ever inciteful.

"Yeah," he nods. "See, I started having them too, when I was about your age, but as I got older, I got used to them more, so they were easier to handle, and after a while, they started happening less and less as I grew into my job and felt like I had everything under control. But your mom leaving, it triggered some old issues, I guess, and it all came back. I couldn't control it anymore, so I started going to therapy. She gave me medicine that's supposed to help with my anxiety, and even though it did get better, the panic attacks would still come up every now and then, so she gave me a few tricks."

Rosie nods, but doesn't seem completely satisfied, "What's anxiety?"

Harvey takes a deep breath, "It's like...like a Jack-in-the-Box. You remember those? How you'd just sit there turning the handle, waiting for it to pop out, except you just keep turning and turning and you know it's going to pop out any second, but it just...doesn't. And you know that little pop is going to scare you, you're just waiting for it to make you jump because you can't stop turning the handle. You need it to pop out so you can just move on, but it doesn't. It's that feeling, but just, all the time. Every conversation, every thought that goes through your head, everything you ever have to do is that Jack-in-the-Box. And sometimes you snap. Sometimes the waiting is too much, and you just explode, and that's a panic attack. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," says Rosie. "Yeah, it actually does. I just…I didn't know that was anxiety. I thought that was how people felt, like, normally."

"No," Harvey shakes his head. "It's definitely not normal. It's fairly common, but it isn't normal."

"So...like...that little thing where your heart suddenly feels like it weighs a hundred pounds for a second and you forget how to breathe, is that anxiety?"

"That's anxiety. It's almost a little mini panic attack. I get it right before I have to talk every time in court."

"Really?" Rosie asks, shocked.

"Really."

"It doesn't show."

"Well, that's because I've spent my entire life trying to hide it," he tells her. "When you grow up thinking it's normal, you wonder why no one else ever looks anxious all the time, and you cover it up."

"I guess I've been doing that too," Rosie considers this for a moment. "I always thought I got my acting skills from Mom, but maybe they're a little bit from you too."

Harvey smiles a little despite himself, "Maybe. At least I gave you something useful."

"I'm sure you passed me a lot of useful things," Rosie counters.

"Well, the anxiety sure isn't one of them," he huffs. "I'm sorry you're like this because of me."

"I'm not. Sorry, I mean."

"Why?"

"It's who I am," Rosie shrugs. "And I like that it makes me more like you. I always used to wonder what my dad was like, what part of me was him because all anyone could ever see was Mom. They never had anyone else to compare it to. And even if this isn't exactly the coolest thing to bond over, it makes me feel a little bit connected to you, anyways. I've always sort of secretly thought you were pretty cool, so..."

"Secretly, huh?" Harvey smirks, choosing not to comment on part of her speech that kind of makes him want to cry.

"Besides," Rosie continues. "Like I said, I'm sure you gave me plenty of other useful things. There must be other parts of me that are like you, we just haven't found 'em yet. Let's just keep looking, okay?"

"Okay."

They spend probably a good hour and a half talking about other "deep stuff." Harvey tells her stories from her childhood and what it was like dealing with a pregnant Donna for nine months and that he likes to watch Oprah in the mornings sometimes. She laughs at all of his jokes, and for the first time in over ten years, he allows himself to hone in on the fact that it's his laugh, not Donna's that she got. He never used to let those kinds of things in because it hurt too much to think and not acknowledge, but now he can do both. Her laugh has always been one of his favorite sounds, second maybe only to her mother's, but he's never truly thought about why, and now that he knows it's because it sounds like a female version of his own, he loves it, even more, this innocent and wonderful part of her that is him. She was right. She usually is, but this time he latches onto the idea and doesn't let go.

When she does finally ask him to talk about his mother, he doesn't think before opening right up. Just the way it had come so naturally when he'd first confided in Donna over twelve years ago, it comes that way with Rosie. He tells her as much as her maturity level will allow and remembers that reluctant as he is to reopen this part of his past, Rosie deserves to know the rest of her family. He never would've suggested it on his own, especially not with everything they have going on with the Mike, but it's been a couple months now since the trial and when Donna approached him about mending things, she'd played her biggest trump card, and, well, he hadn't been able to say no. He has a hard enough time denying her anything as it is, but when she looks at him with _that_ look and uses _that_ tone of voice to remind him that he has a daughter to think about now too, he doesn't stand a chance.

He isn't sure what prompted it, exactly. It had come somewhat out of nowhere during their now-reinstated weekly dinners while Rosie was busy looking for a game to play and he and Donna were putting away the dishes. They'd gone from Mike to his family in a matter of seconds, and he thought he was used to her ability to steer their conversations exactly where she wanted them by now, but it'd given him something akin to whiplash nonetheless. Before he knew it he was agreeing to a weekend trip to Marcus's place with Rosie and a promise to make at least an effort with his mother, who, as Donna eloquently put it, was long overdue the chance to meet the grandchild he'd hidden from her for almost eleven years. He wonders if the whole thing hadn't been brought on by Rosie's sudden interest in his side of the family, now that she knows they're also hers. He'd been dodging numerous questions about his parents and brother for over a month now, and he's sure Donna has gotten them too. He can't really bring himself to be annoyed by it, no matter how hard it is to endure. It's well within her right to want to know about his family, her family, especially since he's kept it from her for so long.

It isn't until after a long silence, Harvey resting his eyes while Rosie stares out the window, that he finally realizes he isn't the only one that's more than a little apprehensive about their spur of the moment adventure.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

Her voice cuts into his thoughts in no more than a whisper, but he's long since trained himself to be hyper-aware of her voice, so of course, he hears, and he knows without needing to ask exactly who she's talking about.

He opens his eyes to see an identical set peering at him and tries for a little lighthearted humor, "Not like you? Impossible."

Rosie doesn't look convinced.

"I just mean...she never even knew she had a granddaughter all these years, and what if she doesn't want another one? What if I don't fit in right? With them, I mean. No one ever likes the new kid."

"Well, I beg to differ, but even so, I think you're overthinking it too much," Harvey tells her. "She's going to be more than thrilled to have another little girl to spoil, and you'd never not fit it. You know they're your family too."

"I'm coming around to that idea, yeah," she says with a little smile, and he thinks that might be about all the progress he's going to make considering he's struggling with it just the same.

"It's going to be fine," he adds, both for her sake and his own, "and I'm going to be right there with you, okay?"

"Okay."

When they finally make it to Boston, Marcus and Katie pick them up at the train station and carry their luggage to the car. Katie is insistent upon finding out everything there is to know about Rosie on the trip from the station to the house, but Marcus is more concerned with harassing Harvey about the fact that he somehow managed to keep a secret daughter from him all these years, and one that was half Donna's no less. Harvey had spent so much time worrying over how he'd be around his mother that he hadn't really stopped to consider what his family would think of him having a kid with Donna. It's not like Marcus has kept his thoughts on their relationship a secret ever since the first night he brought her to one of Gordon's gigs way back in the day. His father had been bad enough, but Marcus had egged it on for so long that Harvey's concerned he worried too much about the wrong family member.

"Look," he stops Marcus as Katie and Rosie move to get in the car while the men put the suitcases in the trunk, "I know you've got this wild fantasy about me and Donna, but just keep it to yourself this time, will you? I don't want Rosie getting any ideas. She hears enough as it is."

"No worries," Marcus agrees surprisingly easily.

The car ride to the house lasts about twenty-five minutes during which Katie informs them as they previously planned that Lily is there waiting with the kids and still completely in the dark about the whole situation. Harvey had insisted they didn't tell her anything so he could be the one to tell her himself. She deserved that much from him after so long. Harvey's leg shakes uncontrollably the whole time in the car, and only when Marcus informs them that they're turning into the neighborhood does Rosie seem to notice. She reaches out with her hand and takes one of his, which is cold and sweaty and gives him a reassuring smile.

"You got this," she says quietly enough for only him to hear. "And I'm right here if you need me."

He squeezes her hand, finding it in himself to smile a little at the irony of her being the one to comfort him this time, even using almost the same words he'd given to her on the train.

"We got this," he corrects with a wink, and she nods.

They pull into the garage, and Marcus and Katie lead the way up the stairs and into the house. Harvey keeps a safe distance behind, making sure Marcus has enough time to reach their mother before he comes around the corner with Rosie right at his side.

"Mom," Marcus calls. "There's someone who came to see you."

"To see me?" answers a soft female voice that Harvey hasn't heard in so long that he feels his heart stop for a second. Part of him considers running right back out the door that second, but he feels Rosie brush up against him.

"Just like the Jack-in-the-Box, right?" she whispers, and he finds the strength he needs in her gaze. And then he steps around the corner, and she's waiting for him.

"Hi, Mom."

She seems in shock, his name falling from her lips so carefully, "Harvey?"

Rosie goes practically unnoticed for the next five minutes or so during which Harvey and his mother collide into a hug that lasts for quite some time, both of them murmuring apologies amidst tears. It isn't until they finally break apart that she seems to realize there's a bigger question to be asked.

"Why now?" she wonders. "What made you come back?"

"Someone very special to me convinced me it was time," he tells her vaguely.

"Oh?" she questions, but before he can speak anymore to that, she finally notices the little redhead who is standing awkwardly behind him. He sees her confusion as her eyes fix on Rosie, and he takes his daughter's arm, pulling her forward.

"Mom, meet Rosie," he says evenly. "Rosie, meet Grandma."

Rosie's face instantly breaks into a smile, but Lily still seems lost.

"Grandma?" she repeats slowly, both a question and a realization at once.

Harvey nods, "This is my daughter."

"I…" Lily starts. "How did...when did you…"

Harvey lets her trail on for a moment before explaining everything with as much detail as he can in as little time as possible. The whole time, Lily watches with eyes wide and a hand over her mouth in complete shock.

"Once Rosie knew the truth, Donna wanted her to have the chance to meet the rest of her family," he finishes, hands gripping Rosie's shoulders. "We both knew that meant I had to establish a real relationship with you, and it's going to take me some time to truly get there, but I thought coming here with an apology was a good start. And Rosie just couldn't wait to meet her Grandma."

Lily just shakes her head, otherwise frozen in complete amazement, but finally reaches out and grabs Rosie by the wrists to bring her closer.

"Just let me look at you," Lily says, and that's all she does for a long while. Harvey knows Rosie must be incredibly anxious, but she doesn't protest. He thinks maybe part of her needs to get a good look at the older woman as well. "I just...I can't believe...all these years, and here you are."

"Here I am," says Rosie, and Harvey suddenly realizes it's the first time she's spoken since they came inside. Lily must realize it too because she instantly bursts into tears at the sound of the girl's voice.

"Can I hug you?" she manages between sobs.

"Isn't that what grandmas are for?" Rosie chuckles a little, but Lily's only response is to clutch her tightly against her chest as if she has no intention of ever letting go.

Harvey watches for a few moments while they embrace, and if he's not mistaken, Rosie's eyes even get a little misty.

Soon after, Marcus's kids, Alex and Hailey, come over to greet Harvey, and he does his best to introduce them to Rosie without making her even more nervous. They all stand around the kitchen talking for a little while before Lily tells them she's making chili that's going to be ready soon, so they ought to get the table set. Harvey and Rosie hover awkwardly by as the rest of the Specters hustle around the kitchen, retrieving silverware and placemats and even a couple folding chairs from the garage for their visitors. The whole time Lily seems reluctant to be too far away from Rosie and even makes sure they're seated next to one another at the table, Harvey on the other side where she won't be completely overwhelmed, of course.

Dinner is relatively casual. Harvey and Rosie are entertained by plenty of stories about the everyday life of the Specters in Boston, they even talk a little about Gordon, and Rosie engages them in a couple of Harvey's least favorite moments from the past decade. Harvey is pleasantly surprised to see that Rosie and Hailey actually hit it off pretty well. Being that they're only a year or so apart, he shouldn't have been _that_ surprised, but Rosie generally has a hard time making friends her own age. Alice and Casey are the only ones she ever mentions, so he hadn't come here expecting her to form a bond with his niece, but it's nice to see, at least. He supposes maybe being family gives them more in common than he'd realized.

Everything is going perfectly fine, more than fine really until Hailey starts in on a story from something that had happened at Alex's baseball games. She mentions someone she calls "Grandpa," and Rosie interrupts her, very confused.

"Grandpa?" she asks. "Do you mean your mom's dad?"

Hailey opens her mouth to explain, but Harvey beats her to it.

"She means Bobby," he says, voice tight and low, but everyone hears.

"Oh," Rosie nods. The rest of the table is completely silent, waiting for Harvey to react probably.

To their credit, he almost does. There's an accusation right on the tip of his tongue, but before it can fall out he feels Rosie grab his hand under the table, squeeze, their eyes meet.

_Just like the Jack-in-the-Box_, he thinks, takes a deep breath, counts to three, and smiles. Maybe he never realized until that exact moment that Rosie can control his anxiety-fueled mood swings just as well as her mother. When she's not causing them, that is.

"Where is Bobby?" he asks. It's forced, but genuine. He's had a lot of practice making his interest seem minuscule when really it's anything but.

"He's out of town for the weekend, actually," Marcus offers. "Went camping with some friends."

Harvey nods in response, and then it's over. He feels a little more withdrawn and little more unsure that he's as ready for this as Donna said he was, but he's come this far, and he has Rosie, so he can stick it out for another day and a half, especially with Bobby gone.

When it's time for bed, Katie guides Harvey and Rosie both to Alex's room. He has a set of bunk beds, just for the sake of it, Harvey assumes, but Katie claims it's good for company. Alex has been banished to the couch for the weekend, but he doesn't seem to mind. Marcus brings their suitcases up, and Harvey thanks them both before shutting the door.

"You mind if I get in the bathroom first to change?" Harvey asks Rosie. "I mean, you're a night shower person, so…"

She smiles, remembering their conversation on the train, and nods, "Go ahead."

He comes out a few minutes later in a pair of sweatpants and a white undershirt, "All yours."

While she's showering, he decides to give Donna a call. She picks up on the first ring.

"Hey."

He finds himself smiling at the sound of her voice. He's been doing that a lot more lately, probably ever since Mike's trial. It turns out being an actual co-parent with Donna requires a level of intimacy they haven't experienced since her pregnancy, and he's having a hard time trying to keep _those_ thoughts from popping up all the time.

"Hi."

"I'm assuming because it's after 11:00 and this is the first I'm hearing from you since you got to Boston that everything went well?"

"It did," he replies, unable to keep the smile he's still wearing from affecting his voice.

"I'm glad, Harvey."

"Thank you," he tells her sincerely. "For making me do this."

"You're welcome," she replies, and he thinks he detects a smile in her voice as well. "Though it wasn't _entirely_ for you."

"I know. But I never would've been able to do it without your support. And Rosie's."

"We're your family, Harvey. We're always going to support you."

The "we" catches him a bit off guard. Donna saying she was his family wasn't something he'd heard from her before, but it feels good. It feels natural.

They transition into work talk for a bit, mainly just her catching him up on what he'd missed when he left early today. But then work talk turns into regular talk and before long he's making her laugh and she's doing that thing where she flirts with him without really flirting with him, but mainly they're just chatting like best friends often do, and he doesn't even notice when Rosie comes out of the bathroom until she's asking him, "Is that my mom?"

He nods, putting the phone on speaker, and she sits on the end of the bed. It's only then that he sees the timer and realizes he and Donna have been talking for over thirty minutes.

"Hi, Mom," she says casually.

He lets them talk for a little while longer and just listens. When Rosie is finished, they both say goodnight, and he presses end.

"What took you so long?" he asks her as she climbs up the little ladder into the bed above him. "I was on the phone for thirty minutes while you were in the shower."

She peers at him from over the railing on the bed, strawberry blonde curls falling in a way that masks her expression a little, "Looking this good takes time, you know."

Harvey rips the pillow out from underneath his head and throws it at her.

"Hey!" she calls back, but she's laughing. "I'm gonna get you back for that."

"Can I just have my pillow back?"

"Nope," she says and retreats back over the side of the railing.

Harvey lets out a dramatic sigh before standing up so that he has a good view of her lying flat on her own pillow, his clutched against her chest, pretending to be asleep. Fortunately for him, he's much stronger than she is, and he manages to yank it out of her grasp.

"Harvey," she says, suddenly turning serious. "Did I do good today?"

He cocks his head slightly, "What do you mean?"

"With Grandma and Hailey and them," she adds. "Did I do good? I was trying really hard to be nice to everyone, but it was...it's a lot."

"You did great," he tells her, hand brushing her hair from her face.

"Are you sure? I guess I'm extra worried now because I know I have anxiety, and I know what it does. I just didn't want them to know there's something wrong with me."

"Hey, look at me," he tells her sternly, almost harshly. "There is _nothing_ wrong with you, got it? Plenty of people have anxiety. It's not something you should be worried about or ashamed of. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah," she looks unconvinced.

"All that stuff I said on the train, it wasn't to make you think there was something wrong with you. It was to make you aware because when you're aware, you can take care of yourself better. You can find out what triggers your anxiety, and you can learn to avoid those things, or how to act when they come around. And we're going to work on it together. You and me. Just like the Jack-in-the-Box. Remember what you told me?"

She nods.

"I'm sorry you have to worry about all this," he sighs.

"Harvey, it's okay," she assures him. "It's not your fault."

"Well, it kind of is, right?" he laughs bitterly. "You're like this because I'm like this. You're fifty percent me, remember?"

"It was a fifty-fifty chance," she shrugs. "Don't beat yourself up about it. At least I got Mom's hair."

"And her confidence."

"And her fashion sense."

"Hey!" this time it's his turn to act indignant.

"It's true," she argues. "I'm glad we came here."

"I'm glad we did too," he agrees. "Told you you had nothing to worry about with Grandma."

"Yeah...I think she likes me more than you."

"Oh, definitely," Harvey replies without missing a beat. "You didn't hide her grandchild from her for almost eleven years."

"Well that," she pauses, "and I'm prettier."

"Okay, I think I've had enough of being abused by you tonight," he tells her. "I'm gonna go get some sleep. "Goodnight, Shortstop."

He gives her a little kiss on her forehead and she smiles, "Goodnight, Harvey."

He wakes up in the morning to a pillow whacking him in the face.

"Rise and shine," he hears Rosie say and opens his eyes to see her peering down at him. "I smell syrup, and I bet there's pancakes."

"Then go get some," he mutters groggily, taking the offending pillow and using it to cover his face.

"I don't want to go by myself," she protests. "And you still have to take a shower."

He groans into the pillow, but he's up within the next two minutes.

"Told ya I'd get you back," she winks at him just as he shuts the bathroom door with a grunt.

The rest of the weekend kind of goes by in a blur. There's baseball practice and lunch at a local diner with great milkshakes and a family game of monopoly and dinner and a movie night afterward. Somehow Rosie convinces them all to watch The Parent Trap (he thinks Lily might possibly do anything Rosie asks for the rest of time), and they both end up annoying everyone by quoting all the lines. He once again ends the night with a long phone call with Donna, and when he tells Rosie goodnight, she asks him to sing to her, which he does, of course, but he finds it a little odd because he hasn't sung to her in years. Maybe watching the movie is making her nostalgic. He hates the way his voice sounds. He never could sing like his dad, but Rosie doesn't mind. It's a little while into the song that he hears her singing along and realizes she _does_ have a nice voice.

Rosie falls asleep after thirty minutes or so, and he lets the easy sound of her deep breathing above him lull him to sleep.

Their train leaves at 10:00 AM, so they're up 8:00 to get packed and eat breakfast before saying their goodbyes. He's not surprised to see Lily at the table when they come down for breakfast. She said she'd probably be here to see them off. Alex and Hailey are still asleep, of course, being that it's Sunday, so they try to at least be little quiet as they mull around the kitchen. Once they're through eating, Marus helps Harvey load their luggage into the car, and he tells Rosie to make sure she goes to the bathroom before they leave, which she does without protest. For a few moments, it's just Harvey and Lily standing there by the refrigerator while he waits on Rosie, and he finds himself at a loss of what to say. This weekend had been good for them, but he doesn't feel ready to be best friends or anything yet. That's still something they have to work at, and until then these moments are going to be incredibly awkward if he doesn't make some small talk. Though, as it turns out, he doesn't have to initiate it. She does.

"My students have an art show coming up in a few weeks," she says, finally breaking the silence. "You should come and see it.

He smiles, "I'd like that."

"You're welcome to bring Rosie, of course," she adds. "And Donna too. I'd love to meet her."

"I'm sure she'd like to meet you too."

"Now that it's just you and me, are you gonna tell me what's going on there?" she questions bluntly, catching him off guard.

"I don't know what you mean," he deflects but knows it isn't any good.

"Mmmhmm," she hums disapprovingly. "You may have avoided me for the past seven years, but I'm still your mother. A mother knows, Harvey."

He sighs, looks at his feet, shrugs.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Mom. There isn't anything to say."

"Don't think for a minute that I'm buying that load of crap," Lily shakes her head. "I've heard enough stories from your father and Marcus all these years. You care about that woman, and she's the mother of your child. I don't have to see you with her to know she's special to you. The way you light up when you talk about her and you don't even know."

Harvey swallows, realizing she's right, realizing he can't hide from himself anymore, so he might as well confide in someone, and his mother seems like a start.

"I...I love her, Mom," he tells her, and the weight that's lifted from his chest just by finally admitting out loud what he's kept bottled up inside for so long is like nothing he's ever felt before. "I think I always have. But it's complicated. She...she has this rule about not getting involved with men that she works with. And she doesn't...I mean sometimes I think she might...but I can't be sure. And I can't risk it. Not with Rosie in the middle of it. If things didn't work out, she'd be ruined. I couldn't do that to her. She deserves a happy family, and what we can give her isn't ideal but it's us. And that's what matters."

Lily stares at him for a moment.

"I think you're full of it."

"Excuse me?"

"You're just scared," she scoffs. "You're scared to risk anything because what I did messed you up badly, and don't think I don't hate myself for it every day, but at some point, you have to just get over yourself. You can't go into every relationship you have expecting it to just fall apart. And Rosie's a big girl now, not just some little kid that doesn't understand why Mommy and Daddy can't live under the same roof. Why don't you try talking to her? I think if she knew how you felt, she'd want you to take that risk for the chance of being happy. Don't you?"

"Maybe," Harvey allows, but he knows she's right. He does.

"Look, just at least think about it, would you?" she presses then reaches into her pocket for something. He watches as she fumbles for a moment and then pulls out something that from this distance looks like…

_A ring._

"This was your grandmother's," she tells him, holding it so he can see. "I want you to have it."

"Mom-"

"Just take the ring, Harvey," she insists, pressing it against his palm. "Keep it with you as a reminder that your family supports you, no matter what happens. And if things go well with Donna, then you don't have to look for one on your own. Your brother tells me how bad you are at shopping for people."

Harvey rolls his eyes but stuffs the ring into his pocket anyway.

"Thanks, Mom."

She doesn't have a chance to respond before Rosie comes skipping around the corner.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Ready," Harvey nods. "Tell Grandma goodbye."

"Bye, Grandma!" Rosie says warmly as Lily crushes her in a hug.

"Don't you stay away from me for ten more years," Lily scolds, though all in good fun because they all know it isn't Rosie's fault.

The girl giggles, "I won't. Promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Lily nods, and kisses Rosie's cheek.

With that, they're out the door.

The trip home is much less interesting than the trip there, and Rosie ends up falling asleep with her head in his lap for the last two hours, leaving him to his thoughts and the weight of the ring that now occupies his pocket.

There's definitely something appealing about imagining that ring on Donna's finger. There's also definitely something appealing about the three of them being a real family, all in the same house, decorating Christmas cookies and celebrating birthdays and not having his heart break in half every time he has to tell Rosie goodnight. But he knows that as long as he dwells on the family aspect of it, the more he's just going to stress himself out, and that shouldn't be the foundation of his relationship, or theoretical relationship, with Donna. It shouldn't be based on the fact that he wants a happy family, it should be based on the fact that he wants _her_. And he does. He wants her so badly sometimes he can't think of anything else, no matter how many years he's spent pretending otherwise. He's got a lot of thinking to do for a little while, but he thinks admitting that to himself is a start. He wants Donna, he loves her, and he's going to fight for her. That he's certain of now.

It's odd seeing her again the first time after this revelation when she meets them at Penn Station. Rosie immediately runs to hug her mother and tell her everything about their trip in extra detail. Harvey trails a little farther behind, allowing them to have their own little reunion before he butts in. He watches their twin smiles with a feeling in his chest that he hopes never goes away. When the taxi drops him off at his building, he gives Rosie a kiss and Donna a smile and drags his suitcase into the lobby with a renewed sense of purpose.

Over the next few weeks, he doesn't end up having much time to think about anything other than Mike. Getting his former associate out of prison takes just about every waking moment he has and then some. Donna is, of course, right by his side for every second of it, even when there's little she can do, but he appreciates her support more than she could possibly know. Tuesday nights are basically all he has to live for during those weeks. The few hours of his day where he can be with his family and not think too hard about Mike are cut shorter and shorter, but he treasures them nonetheless. Months go by in a whirlwind. Mike is home, Jessica leaves, Rosie celebrates her eleventh birthday. He never does end up going back to Boston, but he calls his mom every now and then and makes sure Rosie gets the chance to speak to her too.

It isn't until he's officially head of the firm that he realizes things have started to calm down. He gets to thinking about the ring again, about all it symbolizes, and after all this time he's starting to think maybe he ought not to get too far ahead of himself. Donna coming to him the other night, saying she wanted something more but not explaining what she meant by it has him in a tailspin. He has no idea whether she means personally or career-wise, and even if she did mean personally, he can't be sure that means him. After a lot of internal debating and overthinking, he finally comes back to the one person who has always made him feel safe, and he knows what he has to do.

When he turns up at her building that morning before work, she's already outside, which he finds somewhat surprising, seeing as he'd planned his arrival early enough that he'd time to actually surprise her at her door, but it doesn't deter him. He hops out of the car with his most charming smile and approaches her with confidence.

"Harvey," she says, aptly surprised indeed. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," he responds in kind. "I was just driving this baby around and remembered how much street parking you had."

She raises an eyebrow, "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"Well, I hope so. It sure impresses me."

"Well, it's nice to see you, but if you wanted an appointment, you should've called," she says stoically. He's glad she decided to play along. Much more fun that way.

"I'm not here for an appointment," he tells her. I'm here to ask you out."

She breaks, laughing a little, "You're serious?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and…" he pauses for a second, enough for her to jump in.

"Harvey-"

He interrupts before she can ruin things.

"Please, let me finish," he insists. "Things have changed since the last time I saw you. I'm not the same man that I was. I made peace with my family, I got my old associate back, and as of this morning, I'm the head of my firm, and when I thought of sharing that with someone, I thought of you."

She considers this for a moment before responding.

"Well, it doesn't matter because I'm eleven years old and you're way too old for me."

"Rosie-"

"No, I mean it," she replies, deadly serious. "I'm not even a legal adult yet. I know you see these celebrities on Oprah doing whatever they want, and you think you can get away with it because you're rich, but I won't let you. Find someone your own age."

He shakes his head and can't help but laugh at her, "You're something else, you know that?"

She shrugs, "I am who I am."

"Seriously," he presses. "I want to take you out, just you and me. Think of it as an extended birthday present. Something to make up for all the dad and daughter things we didn't get to do when you were little."

She pretends to consider this, "Okay. You guilted me into it, Old Man."

"Old Man? You've been spending too much time with Mike."

"What can I say? I missed the guy."

"Me too," Harvey admits.

They walk for a little while in silence, then she says, "Earlier, about the street parking. That was a joke, right?"

"Yeah."

When he picks her up for their date Friday night, she's wearing something he immediately recognizes as Versace, and he has to control the urge to roll his eyes. She's branding herself as a trust fund kid in middle school, and as much as he hates the idea of people seeing her as a spoiled brat, she does look pretty cute in that dress, so he decides to let it go. Donna jokes him about having her back by 11:00, but she winks at him when Rosie's back is turned, knowing full well it'll be long after midnight before she sees either of them again.

Rosie pesters him about the location of their date no less than a hundred times just from the elevator ride down to the lobby, but he refuses to give in until they're in the car, already on the way. Once they've officially left the city, he reaches into his pocket to fish out the tickets that have practically been burning a hole in it since he put them there an hour ago.

"Okay," he tells her. "You really want to know where we're going?"

"Yes!" she cries. "Finally. _Please_."

He hands her the tickets, watching as she has a chance to read them before her eyes go wide and her jaw drops.

"Taylor Swift? You got us tickets to _Taylor Swift_? Harvey! This tour has been sold out for months. How did you do it?"

"I have my ways," he replies mysteriously, wiggling his eyebrows to heighten the effect.

"You know what? I'm too excited to worry about what you did. I don't even care if you killed a guy. We're seeing Taylor Swift. Tonight. Like right now."

"We are," he confirms, smiling to himself. He did good with this one. Really good. "And in case you didn't already notice, those are VIP tickets, meaning we get a meet and greet too."

She squeals a little girly squeal that he rarely ever hears from her and launches herself across the seat as much as she can to give him a hug, "I love you!"

"Love you too, Shortstop," he squeezes her back. "Happy birthday."

A little time goes by, and Rosie seems to finally calm down a bit, when out of the blue she asks, "You're not going to embarrass me, are you?"

"How would I embarrass you?"

"You don't know any of the words!" she says as if it were entirely obvious. "You're going to look like an idiot just sitting there while everyone else is singing along."

"How do you know I don't know any of the words?" he challenges.

She rolls her eyes, "Please. Harvey Specter does _not_ know Taylor Swift."

He looks at her pointedly.

"Ray," he calls to his driver. "Can you turn on some Taylor Swift for us?"

Within seconds, her newest album is blasting through the sound system and he's matching her word for word while Rosie watches first with shock, then with amusement. When the song ends, she's cracking up.

"Okay, okay," she cedes between bouts of giggles. "You proved your point. You know Taylor Swift."

"Well I didn't," he admits. "At least not until I got these tickets, but then I figured I ought to learn. I didn't want to _embarrass_ you."

"You wouldn't," she assures him despite her earlier words. "You never do."

"Really? Maybe I'm failing as a dad, then. I thought that was part of the job description."

Rosie shakes her head, "That wasn't an invitation to start. But I'm sure you'll get there eventually. You haven't been at this dad thing for all too long. Cut yourself some slack."

The concert goes about exactly like he imagined it would. Rosie does a lot of freaking out over things he cannot even begin to comprehend and sings the words to every single song (even things he's never heard before) and he sends a couple of videos to Donna when she gets distracted enough that she doesn't notice. She's expectedly pretty nervous once it's over, which Harvey doesn't really get, but he can relate to on some level. He reminds her to pay attention to her breathing and to try and not get too worked up in her own head, knowing that it won't be that helpful but feeling the need to say so anyways.

He's grateful when it's their turn at least because the anticipation is finally over, and when he watches her hug the singer, the smile on her face is worth every penny he spent on this night. He knows that for a fact. He observes with mild interest as the two carry on a small conversation. Taylor compliments Rosie's shoes, thanks her for coming, asks her if she has any special requests for their photo. Once they're done, Harvey moves forward to collect her, but she doesn't immediately come to him.

"Is this your dad?" Taylor asks Rosie, and she nods. "You're a lucky kid. I don't get a lot of dads back here. They don't seem to find a lot of interest in my music. I think it's just bad taste, but either way, your dad must be pretty great for sticking it out this long."

"He's the best," Rosie tells her, but her smile is completely for Harvey.

"Should we get a picture with Dad?"

Rosie looks at him, "I don't know. What do you think, _Dad_?"

He hears the way her tone lands on that last word with a mocking voice, but he thinks his heart stops at the sound of it. She hasn't ever called him that before. It's kind of a joke, just because they both know something Taylor doesn't and maybe Rosie was being a little sarcastic, but he loves it.

"Sure," he says. He'd agree to anything in that moment.

Another picture is snapped, and before he knows it, they're heading outside to Ray who's patiently waiting for them.

"Thanks for staying out so late tonight," Harvey tells his driver once they're buckled in. "No more weekends for the rest of the month. Promise."

Ray nods his thanks and begins to drive away, leaving Harvey to look over all the souvenirs he'd apparently purchased for Rosie before the show started. She's rattling on animatedly, telling him to make sure Donna gets their pictures when he finally has to stop her.

"You called me Dad."

"Huh?" she looks up, not having truly heard him.

"Back there, when we were taking pictures, You called me Dad."

"Oh," she blushes slightly. "Yeah, that...that was…"

"I know it was a joke, but I didn't hate it. You could...I don't know. You could call me that, maybe, if you wanted. Only if you want to, though."

She looks him over for a minute, "I'll give it a try..._Dad_."

He smiles, "Is it weird?"

"Kinda."

"Bad weird?"

"Good weird," she assures him. "It's just gonna take some getting used to, Dad, that's all."

He laughs, "Is this going to be like that scene in Parent Trap when Annie first meets her dad and she has to tack that onto the end of every sentence?"

"I don't know, Dad. Guess we'll just have to see, won't we...Dad?"

He hears it a couple dozen times on the ride home. So much so that by the time he's knocking on Donna's door, it's even starting to feel pretty normal.

"Well hello there," Donna greets them dressed in pajamas and a robe. "I see you two lost track of time. What happened to 11:00?"

"You knew," Rosie attempts to glare at her mother accusingly, but it's hard when she's smiling so much.

"Guilty," Donna admits. "Now get that load of stuff into your bedroom and change your clothes. But make sure to tell Harvey thank you first."

"Thanks, Dad," she tells him with a wink.

"Anytime."

She runs to her room with her things, and he turns to look at Donna who's staring at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Dad, huh?"

"What can I say?" he shrugs innocently. "She _really_ liked the gift."

Donna rolls her eyes, but immediately turns very soft, "Thank you, Harvey."

He has a feeling she means for more than just the concert, but he doesn't ask her to elaborate.

"Like I said. Anytime."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Donna."

"Goodnight, Harvey."

There's a second when, if he were braver, he might've been inclined to kiss her. But he's a bit of a coward, and it's late, so he doesn't. He just walks away with a smile on his face and a giddy little feeling in his chest. He was going to fight for her alright, he just had to find a good time to discuss it with Rosie. After tonight, he's pretty sure he's got her approval, but he just never seems to know how to broach the subject. No matter. That was a problem for another day. Tonight, he was going to go home and fall asleep to the sound of his daughter finally calling him "Dad" on loop in his head, and that would just have to do for now.

**Yay! Happy times! I love family! I'm gonna go out on a limb and say maybe this next chapter will be a bit faster because I've got a lot of it written already, and it's been one of my favorites to write. And I'm pretty sure it will be a joy to read because, well, it just will. You'll see.**

**(Side note: I really don't know why these things just keep getting longer. I certainly had not intended this one to be longer than the last, but I packed a lot in there, I guess. Oh well.)**


	10. Dancer

**I think this is my record for updating, but what's quarantine for, am I right? Anyways, I'd like to apologize in advance because once again I'm uploading this at some freakish hour of the night, and the friend I normally get to proofread for me is asleep because she's a normal human, so if it's awful and there are like a billion typos, that's on spellcheck. **

**This is for Annie because I will most likely not get around to writing that thing I said I'd write for her birthday even in quarantine. Sorry for lying to you, Annie, You're still my all-time fav.**

"_Honestly, fake_

_Honestly, wake_

_But honestly, no one is calling your name"_

She doesn't really know why she calls Mark. Perhaps everything going on at the firm is bringing back old memories, or perhaps it's because she finds herself picking out the old book of Shakespeare Sonnets he once gave her, or perhaps she doesn't have a reason at all.

She realizes about two words in that it's a bit weird, but the conversation flows naturally, and before she knows it, she's asking him to have lunch, and they're even flirting a bit, reminding her how much fun she used to have with him, and it's so easy. She's smiling despite herself when they both hang up, but the smile turns into a frown when she hears feet shuffling around the corner.

Rosie enters the room slowly and groggily, eyes squinting to adjust to the bright kitchen light.

"What are you doing up?" she asks as Rosie passes her and flops down onto the couch.

"Can't sleep," Rosie shrugs, rubbing her eyes. "I'm really stressed about the test."

"I know, but we crammed for hours, and I really think it's going to go a lot better than you think," Donna says encouragingly, moving to join her.

"Maybe. I just don't get why I even have to learn world religions. If I wanted to be Buddhist, I'd figure it out on my own. I don't need someone to teach me where it originated. It doesn't even make sense anyway."

"I know, but learning about different religions helps you learn to respect people with different customs and cultures than ours. You have a whole world full of people that you have to coexist with for a very long time, and I want you to grow up to be a kind and understanding person who accepts people for who they are."

"I can do that without memorizing the five pillars of Islam," Rosie grunts.

"Which are?"

She sighs, "Profession of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage."

"See? Nothing to worry about."

Rosie stands up from the couch, seemingly beginning to make her way back to bed, but she stops just in front of Donna.

"Who were you on the phone with?" she asks.

"Uh, no one," Donna hedges, avoiding eye contact.

"It was obviously someone. You made plans with them. An old friend from college or something?"

"Or...something."

Rosie gives her a weird look, one that means she knows there's more to the story and she isn't going to stop digging until she finds out what it is.

"It was Mark, actually. Do you remember him? You probably wouldn't. You were pretty little when he was around. He—"

Rosie cuts off her rambling, "Who's Mark exactly?"

"My um...he's...an ex-boyfriend," she chokes out, knowing nothing good can come from the conversation that follows.

Rosie stares at her for a couple of seconds, "An ex-boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"That you just called out of the blue?"

"Yes."

"And now you're going on a date with him?"

"It's not really—"

"Are you insane?" Rosie practically yells.

Donna is taken aback by her emotion. Rosie is never exactly fond of Donna dating, but she hasn't yelled about it since she was a little kid. This is something else entirely. She watches intrigued as her daughter paces back and forth in front of the couch, muttering to herself.

"You can't go to lunch with him," she finally says in a voice clear enough for Donna to understand.

"Excuse me?"

"You can't go. That's right. I said it. I'm putting my foot down."

"And what makes you think you have the authority to tell me what I can and cannot do?" Donna challenges with eyebrows raised.

"I'll tell Dad," Rosie threatens. "I'll call him right now. I'm sure he knows exactly who Mark is."

"Your father is hardly in charge of what I do with my life," Donna scoffs, though the idea of Harvey finding out she's meeting with Mark does unsettle her an enormous amount.

"So you wouldn't care if I told him?"

Finding she can't answer that without lying, Donna chooses to say nothing, which is an answer in and of itself.

"I thought so," Rosie crosses her arms. "And _that_ is precisely why you cannot _possibly_, under any circumstances, go to lunch with Mark tomorrow."

"You're really going to blackmail me?"

Rosie sighs, "Would you rather I get down on my knees and beg?"

"It would be interesting, to say the least."

"I will if that's what it takes," Rosie says, and without even needing to ask, Donna knows she's being sincere. For whatever reason, Rosie really doesn't want her to go on this specific date. She's always been indifferent to most of Donna's boyfriends in the past, but this was new. Donna can see the desperation in her daughter's eyes behind the mask of defiance she wears. In any other situation, she would never let Rosie get away with threatening her like this, but she realizes that more than being punished right now, Rosie needs her to listen. She isn't sure exactly why, and perhaps she'll have the chance to figure it out later, but if something about this situation is making her uncomfortable, then going through with it will only make things worse in the long run.

"Okay," Donna concedes. "You win. I won't go out with Mark tomorrow."

Rosie looks surprised, "Wait, really?"

"Really. But don't think this is how things are going to go from now on. Next time you have a problem with me meeting a guy, you better have a good reason for trying to talk me out of it."

Rosie mumbles something under her breath that Donna doesn't quite catch.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing," Rosie answers quickly, but she's smiling. "I'm gonna go to bed now. For real this time."

"Okay, weirdo," Donna shakes her head, deciding to give her a pass. This time.

Rosie's weird mood is, apparently, here to stay. It's been exactly a week since Donna canceled her lunch with Mark, and the kid is still acting all kinds of odd. It's Tuesday, and Rosie is spending her evening at the office where she'll then go home with Harvey for the night. She's been spending more and more nights in his penthouse, and Donna doesn't mind, really, because it's only ever for one night at a time, and she wants Rosie to have more quality time with her father, but adjusting to the joint custody thing has been weird. They decided there was no reason to get lawyers involved, and that they would figure things out as they went, as is more their style, but she worries when things like Christmas and Thanksgiving roll around how they'll manage it. She supposes that's a problem for another day, though. As of right now, everything is going great, more than great, really. In fact, she'd be tempted to say perfect, but she knows better than that. They're one step shy of perfect, and that's a step she doubts they'll ever take, but she's grateful for the normal they've invented.

Donna avoids pestering Rosie about her strange mood, hoping Harvey will notice and take it upon himself to have that conversation because, quite frankly, it's only Tuesday and she's over the whole week. The last two days have been packed with paperwork, and she'd never admit it, but this new job is still something she's struggling with. It's been hard to find her footing, and Harvey's been no help whatsoever. In fact, now that she thinks about it, he's been acting kind of odd today as well. She hadn't noticed until this moment, but ever since she'd walked Rosie to his office this morning, he's been actively avoiding her. She really can't be bothered with it too much at this point in the evening. With Rosie going back to his place, she decides she's just going to put the paperwork away on time tonight and be out of her by 6:00. Going home to a warm bath and some mindless television sounds absolutely wonderful.

She's just thinking about finding Harvey and Rosie to tell them this when her daughter pops into the room.

"Hey," she says quickly. "Do you have any extra staples? Louis is out and he's having a fit down the hall. I thought I'd do everyone a favor."

Donna chuckles, "Good idea. I don't think I've got any on me, but there should be some in the desk in the file room."

"Got it," Rosie nods, and turns to leave.

"Rosie," Donna calls out before she can get too far, waiting for her to turn back around. "I think I'm getting ready to head out, that okay?"

Rosie suddenly goes very stiff before stuttering out, "W-why?"

"Because I've had a long day," says Donna.

"But you can't go yet!" Rosie practically shouts. "Harvey isn't back from his meeting."

Donna gives her an odd look, "It's okay. Mike and Rachel will be here, it's not like you're alone."

"But…"

"But?" Donna prompts.

"Can't you just wait until Harvey comes back?" Rosie begs.

"Rosie," Donna sighs. "I just told you that I've had a long day. I'm at a good stopping point, and I've just convinced myself that it's okay to go home for the night. Why does it matter if Harvey's here or not?"

Rosie pauses for a minute, struggling to answer.

"It just does, okay?"

"No, not okay," Donna argues. "I let it go the last time you asked me to do something without a good reason, but you've been acting weird all week, and I want to know what's up."

Rosie's gaze drops to her feet, "I can't tell you."

"Is that so?" Donna raises an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I might as well head home."

"No! Mom, please, just trust me. Just until Harvey gets back. I promise you'll understand soon."

"Understand what, Rosie?" Donna is fully annoyed by this point. "I can't imagine there's anything more important than me getting home and into pajamas right now."

"But it is!"

"Then _tell_ me."

"I _can't_."

Donna shakes her head, the familiarity with this situation hitting her and making her even more reluctant to give in, "I'm going home. Go hang out with Rachel. I'm too tired for this."

Rosie moves to block her office door, "You _can't_. You can't because Harvey was going to ask you out on a date, and I've spent all day prepping him for it, and if you aren't here when he gets back, he's going to chicken out, and you'll never get married."

Rosie ends her rant with a big sigh and a look on her face like she's most definitely given away a secret that she wasn't supposed to tell. Donna, however, is still processing her words. _Harvey was going to ask you out on a date._

"I…" she starts but doesn't finish. "I'm sorry?"

"He wanted to surprise you," Rosie frowns. "But you were leaving, and you wouldn't listen. I had to say something. Promise you'll still act surprised?"

Donna shakes her head, "I'm...Harvey...is going to ask me out? On a date?"

Rosie rolls her eyes, "Yes, Mom. I said that already."

"Could you, possibly, give me a little more to work with here?"

"I've already said too much, but you do look like you're about to pass out from shock, so I guess there's not much point hiding it now…"

And so Donna listens as she explains it all.

_As soon as Donna is no longer visible outside Harvey's office door, Rosie cuts off the intercom and gets right to business._

"_We need to talk."_

_Harvey looks up from his laptop, "O-kay?"_

"_You," Rosie points at him accusingly, "need to step it up, mister."_

"_Excuse me?" he asks, obviously confused._

"_Someone is trying to make a move on your woman!" Rosie huffs, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize the fact._

_Harvey's eyebrows shoot up, "My _woman_?"_

"_Yes!" she flops down in the chair across from him dramatically. "And if you don't do something about it, you're going to lose her forever, and I don't think that's what you want."_

"_You wanna slow down and back up a bit? Because I have no idea what you're on about."_

"_Okay. I wasn't gonna say this because I was waiting for you to come to me on your own, but you were taking too long and then Mark came up—'_

_Harvey stops her, "Who's Mark?"_

"_Mom's old boyfriend. Try and keep up would you?"_

"_I don't—"_

"_I heard you in the kitchen with Grandma, okay?" she blurts out._

"_You…"_

"_Yeah," she continues, not bothering to wait for him to process it. "All that stuff about Mom and how you're in love with her and her stupid rule and you being too scared to risk anything because of me? Heard every bit of it."_

"_I—"_

"_I really wish we were having this chat under better circumstances, but there's no time for that. All you need to know is I'm okay with it and you need to do something. Like, now."_

"_Can we just—"_

"_Dad!" she groans in frustration. "Really, I'd love to have the whole heart to heart about it, but the situation boils down to this: you love Mom, she loves you, and I want my parents together. Now can we just get to planning how you're going to ask her out? I was thinking there should be flowers involved. She loves—"_

"_Lilies," he finishes. "I know."_

_Rosie smiles, "See? This is going to be super easy if you work with me."_

"_Let me get this straight," Harvey pauses, leaning back in his chair. "You came here to tell me that you heard that entire conversation I had with your grandmother about how I'm not good enough for your mom, and then instruct me on the best way to ask her out?"_

"_No," Rosie drawls. "I came here to tell you that Grandma was right when she said you were full of it, and that I'm old enough to understand there's more at stake here, and that it doesn't matter. I want you to go for it because I'd give anything in the world for my parents to be together, and not just because I want a normal family, but because I knew you two were perfect for each other long before I found out you were my dad."_

_Harvey considers this for a moment, "You're putting a lot of faith in the fact that I won't mess this up."_

"_You won't."_

"_What makes you so sure?" he asks. "You're the one who told me I always ruin my relationships."_

"_But this one is different, and you know it," Rosie argues. "The reason you've kept yourself from us for so long is because you were afraid to ruin the best thing you ever had, and that's not me. I mean, maybe I'm part of it, but it's mainly Mom. It was Mom way before I ever existed, and it will always _be _Mom."_

_Harvey smiles to himself, "Does anyone ever tell you that you're too smart for your own good?"_

"_Yes," Rosie smirks._

"_Listen," Harvey says, moving forward so that he's leaning on the desk to be closer to her. "It's not that I don't want to. You know that. But, Rosie, I'm terrified. Like, Jack-in-the-Box times a billion. An entire room full of Jacks-in-the-Box unwinding at the same time."_

"_I know. That's how you know it's worth it. I'm rooting for you, and so are Mike and Rachel, and Grandma, and, well, everyone, basically. Except maybe Louis because I'm not sure he ever really knows what's going on, but once he does, he will be too."_

_Harvey smiles slightly, nodding his head slowly._

"_Just believe in yourself, like I believe in you."_

"_Okay," he finally says._

"_Okay?" Rosie jumps up excitedly._

"_Okay," Harvey repeats, laughing as she darts around the desk to fling her arms around him._

"_We're going to be a real family!" she squeals into his shoulder._

"_Let's just take this one step at a time, Shortstop."_

_She pulls back to look at him before hopping onto his desk, "First step is, you need to ask her on a real date."_

"_I don't...I don't know what to say," Harvey admits._

"_You've asked out girls before, Dad," Rosie reminds him. "It's not that hard."_

"_Yeah but...this is...she's different."_

"_Yeah, she is. Because she's already in love with you, so you don't have to worry about trying to impress her."_

"_You shouldn't keep saying that," Harvey warns._

"_What? That she's in love with you? I wouldn't say it if it weren't true."_

_He shakes his head, "You can't know that."_

"_I do know it. I'm her daughter and her best friend and I know everything there is to know about her. You can trust me. I promise."_

_Harvey chuckles, but doesn't disagree, "Just help me figure out what to say, would you?"_

"_Of course."_

When Rosie is through, Donna finds herself resting against the window of her office, hands gripping the windowsill while she stares blankly in shock. The chaos from the past week seems like a distant memory now.

"He really said all that?" she manages to ask.

"Yes," Rosie answers immediately. "So now do you get why you need to stay?"

Donna nods, but she can't quite bring herself to do much else.

"I'm going to give you a minute for the shock to wear off while I go look for those staples," Rosie says with a little laugh before leaving for the file room.

Alone with her thoughts, Donna can't even find a place to start. There's so much to unpack that she's slightly overwhelmed and lightheaded. Sliding down so that she's partially sitting on the windowsill, she finds that she can think easier when she isn't as worried about falling.

She knows she should be happy, ecstatic really, about this development, but she can't find it in herself to be. Maybe she feels like it's too good to be true because this is something she's wanted for so long, but mainly she thinks that it can't be true because it's _Harvey_. Harvey Specter doesn't do commitment and he most definitely doesn't do being in love. She tells herself it's because of the new dynamic they've had ever since Mike's trial. They've been acting a lot more like a family, and having reunited with his own, he must be romanticizing it in his head. Maybe he realized that having a family is something he wants, and it's easier to settle for what he already has than really going after what he wants.

But part of her knows that isn't true either. There have been moments, lots of them, when she knew with every fiber of her being that he felt _something_. She has each and every one of those moments ingrained in her memory down to the last detail. She's been playing them on loop in her head for years, and she knows she isn't imagining it.

Her brain keeps switching back and forth so quickly that she feels like a schoolgirl ripping off flower petals chanting, "He loves me. He loves me not," for what feels like hours. She never does have a chance to rip that last petal off and come to a decision when the object of her thoughts comes waltzing right through her door.

She looks up, immediately rising from her spot on the windowsill, but still feeling as though she could topple over any second. Watching as he opens his mouth to speak, she notices that he falters a little as well.

He tries to smile at her, but it comes shakily as he starts to speak, "Good. You're still here because I wanted to talk to you about—"

Before she can think, she's striding over to him and then her lips are on his, effectively cutting off whatever speech he had prepared.

He goes very still, and she instantly regrets her boldness, but she doesn't pull away just yet. If this is the moment he realizes he's made a mistake by coming to her, then she isn't going to waste this kiss. She slides her fingers into his hair, kissing him for all she's worth before she goes to pull back. Just as she does, she thinks she might feel him start to reciprocate, but she isn't so sure.

When she opens her eyes, he's staring at her in a mixture of shock and confusion, and she almost smiles thinking of how she'd felt when Rosie first told her his plans just moments ago.

"I'm sorry, Harvey," she whispers, trying to place some distance between them. "I just—"

But before she can even finish the thought, his lips are crashing against hers. His hands are on her waist, pulling her to him and then anchoring her there, crushed against his chest so tightly that every single part of them is touching. One of his hands moves from her waist to her hair, tangling itself inside as he deepens the kiss, begging her to follow his lead.

She does. Even though it's her turn again to be in shock, she finds herself instinctively pressing against him, allowing him to bear her weight as she sinks into his embrace. Seconds, maybe minutes later, he begins to urge her backward. It's a bit difficult, seeing as he hasn't detached himself from her for more than a few seconds at a time, and only with his lips as they take a few, much needed, breaths. But eventually she stumbles into her desk, and he lifts her onto it, taking the opportunity to trail kisses across her jaw, behind her ear, down her neck.

"Harvey," she manages to gasp just as he reaches her collar bone, and something inside them both snaps, because then he's jolting upwards to look her in the eyes.

Her hand, from where it had placed itself at the base of his neck, moves to slide down onto his chest, but he grabs hold of it in order to ensure she can't remove it entirely.

"You just what?" he asks, gaze so intense that for a moment she isn't sure what he's saying, and even when she does figure it out, it takes a few more seconds to realize he's referencing her fractured sentence from before.

"Needed to know," she finishes, breath heavy, eyes never moving from his.

"Needed to know what?" he murmurs so quietly she almost misses it.

She glances at her hand in his, then back up at him, "If this was really what you wanted."

"Donna," he says, and the softness in his gaze and in his tone is enough to make her heart melt right then and there. "I have never wanted anything more in my whole entire _life_."

She can't help it. She smiles.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he smiles back, tenderly using a hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I guess that means Rosie told you about my grand plan, huh?"

She nods, shyly.

"I just wasn't sure if...if you were doing it for her, or—"

"I'm not," he promises. "She was the one who pushed, but she wasn't the reason."

She wants to believe him. She really does, but in twelve years worth of disregarded moments and compartmentalizing feelings she isn't sure she can do that as easily as she wishes she could.

"You're worried still," he observes. He knows her all too well. "What can I say to make you believe me?"

"I don't—"

"What if I told you that ever since the day you told me you were pregnant with Rosie, I've been working towards becoming the man you both deserve?"

She feels her jaw drop slightly.

"For the first four years of her life I was determined I could become that man," he continues. "I tried so hard. I wanted to be what you needed so badly, but then my dad died and I...I couldn't even face my own mother. And you wanted me to distance myself, so I did. And I spent the next six years trying to pretend I could move on, that who I was was the best version of myself and that I'd find someone who could take me as that or I'd end up alone. But I was lying to myself. Up until a few months ago, I refused to acknowledge that part of me that still wanted you so badly it hurt. And then I ended up talking to my mom. And she made me realize that all the reasons I'd been keeping myself away from you were because I didn't have faith in myself. I wanted to talk to Rosie, and this morning, she just…"

"Just what?" Donna urges, needing to know what sparked the change.

He takes a deep breath.

"_She_ believes in me, Donna. She sees who I am. All my baggage. All my flaws. And she doesn't just accept me. She loves me. It's not easy to find someone like that in this world, and yeah, maybe she has to a little because I'm her dad, but the only other person whoever did that, without any obligation, was _you_."

Donna can feel tears building in her eyes, threatening to spill, but she doesn't dare move to wipe them away for fear of losing contact with him for even a second.

"You've been doing that since the day I met you," he swallows. "You didn't need me to become a better man, Donna, because you _make_ me a better man. And once I realized that, there wasn't anything stopping us from being the family we were always meant to be."

She feels as if her heart could burst and break at the same time as she says, "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You've spent your entire life running from your past like it was what broke you, but I know different. Your past is a part of you, and it has helped shape you into the most amazing man. You're such a wonderful father to Rosie, and the best friend to me. Through all our ups and downs, I've never doubted that."

He strokes her cheek softly, "I'm going to try having faith in me. I know I'm not good at it, but Donna, I want to do it for you. I want to be worthy of all that you just said."

"You are," she assures him, thinking back to the night she tried to talk him out of turning himself in for Mike. "You've always been worthy of us, Harvey."

"Keep saying it, and I might believe it," he chuckles, and she realizes it's the loveliest sound.

"One day you will," she promises. "I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you if I have to."

"The rest of your life, huh?" he teases, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She smiles, "This is it for me, Harvey. You're it for me. You know that, don't you?"

"I do. And I'm going to make this work, I promise you right now."

"I'll hold you to that."

He pulls her to him, embracing her in a way that is soft and warm and _home_.

"But did you really think kissing me was the best course of action?" he asks as he pulls away, smirking at her and taking both of her hands in his.

She laughs, then shrugs casually, "It seems to have worked out in my favor."

"Mmm," he hums in response, lifting their hands to place a few open-mouthed kisses into her palm. "Must've been pretty sure of yourself."

"More like Rosie was pretty sure of herself," Donna corrects, struggling not to lose control of her wavering voice.

He chuckles against her wrist, kissing it once as well before meeting her eyes again, "You sure of yourself now?"

She pretends to ponder this, "I may need to test my theory again."

"And I'd be more than happy to oblige," he smiles, "but we are still at work."

She lets out a huff of annoyance that turns into a slight pout, "Unfortunately."

"Lucky for you," he smirks, moving to press his lips against her ear, "I already sent Rosie home with Mike and Rachel."

She raises an eyebrow at him, "Now who's sure of himself?"

"I was planning to ask you out on a date, remember?"

"I do. And your intention was incredibly sweet—"

"Thank you."

"—but completely unnecessary," she finishes.

She moves her fingers to the knot in his tie, toying with it while glancing down at her lap.

"I say we skip the dinner and go straight to the main event," she suggests.

She worries his eyes are in danger of falling out of his head the way they bug out at that statement, and she has to stifle a laugh to keep from ruining the mood.

"Uh, Donna..." he stutters. "As much as that thought appeals to me, don't you think that's a bit...much? Too soon?"

"Does twelve years seem too soon to you?" she counters.

"No," he whispers, and as she was expecting some sort of witty comeback, the sincerity surprises her. "It doesn't."

"Alright then," she says decidedly, placing a chaste kiss to his cheek and hopping off of her desk. "Let's get a move on, Specter."

He nods once, but just as she moves to go in search of her things, he stops her with a hand on her waist.

"Donna."

She turns to him, questioning his hesitation.

"You know I love you, don't you?"

Of all things to catch her off guard tonight, she certainly wasn't expecting this one, and certainly not like that, phrased the way it was. Nonetheless, she believes it to be true with every fiber of her being.

"Yes, Harvey," she assures him. "I do know that."

"Aren't you gonna ask me how?" he teases, but the pure happiness in his voice sort of ruins the playfulness of it all.

"I don't want you to tell me how, Harvey," she bites her lip with a smirk of her own. "I want you to _show_ me."

And so he does.

After they've gone back to his apartment. After he spends a ridiculous amount of time ravishing her against the back of his front door. After she shows him herself. After a whole night of the softest, gentlest, most beautiful connection she's ever shared with any other person. After she tells him they need to sleep. After the sun awakens them in the wee hours of the morning when they're wrapped up together and still too tired to form coherent sentences. After he tells her over and over again: against her cheek, her neck, her hands, her stomach, her lips. After she tells him, not for the first time, and most certainly not for the last, that she loves him right back.

For the first time since finding out she was pregnant, Donna doesn't think about Rosie even once.

She wakes in the morning to him kissing her shoulder. His arms are wrapped tightly around her, so she has to detangle herself in order to face him.

"Morning," he mumbles, smiling.

"Morning," she smiles back.

"You sleep well?" he asks.

She nods, "You?"

"Best sleep I've ever had," he replies with a wink, and she laughs.

"As much as I'd love to lay here all day, we do have work."

He groans, "Can't we take a day off?"

"You haven't taken a day off in fourteen years," she reminds him.

"I haven't had a reason to take a day off in fourteen years," he shoots back, burying his face in her neck where he returns to kissing her.

"_Harvey_," she wines.

"I'm in the middle of something very important," he mumbles against her skin, making her giggle when his breath tickles her neck.

"And what would that be, exactly?"

He lifts his head so he can look at her in the eyes, "You wanted me to show you how I love you. I'm not finished yet."

She figures it'd be okay if they were a couple hours late. Just for today.

This is how everything is for the next three days. Rosie is over the moon when they tell her the news after work on Wednesday evening. She screams and pops these little things of confetti that Donna didn't even know she had, and FaceTimes Mike and Rachel immediately, who already know, of course, and the three of them celebrate together while Harvey orders takeout with Donna's arms wrapped around his waist.

For three days, he stays at Donna's apartment watching TV with her until they're sure Rosie is asleep, and he sneaks out the next morning before the sun comes up. On Saturday, he comes back only a couple hours after leaving with bagels and coffee for his girls, and takes them out to lunch. They go to Neiman Marcus afterward, and he trails after them both for hours while they do some serious damage to his debit card, but he doesn't mind. Donna watches him get several pitying looks from other men while he weaves between the Gucci and Jimmy Choo pumps. He either doesn't notice or doesn't care, and she smiles at the thought that to any random stranger, they look like a typical family.

When they pile into the back seat of his Lexus with arms full, Ray greets them with a knowing smile. He's been driving Harvey to and from her apartment a lot over the last couple of days, and she knows he's witnessed more than a little of their fondling in the backseat on the way back from work. He doesn't say anything, though, but she can tell he's another in a long list of people who are glad for the transition in their relationship.

They order pizza for dinner and rent the newest Marvel movie afterward. Donna really couldn't care less about superhero movies, but Harvey loves them, and Rosie has been trained to like them both by her father and by Mike, so Donna doesn't complain. She thinks Rosie is a little put off by the fact that Donna now sits in the middle of the couch, the spot Rosie used to take, but the looks she keeps stealing at Harvey with his arm around her tells Donna she's probably okay with it.

Rosie decides she's going to bed once the movie is over, which is unusual, but Donna lets her without protest. Donna changes into her pajamas soon after, and goes in search of Harvey once she's done, wondering if he's ready to go to bed too or he's planning to stay up for a while longer. She's on her way to the living room when she hears him in Rosie's room.

She can't help herself from eavesdropping as she stands just outside the door to wait for him.

"Are you spending the night?" she hears Rosie ask him candidly and has to bite down on her lip to keep from giggling out loud.

"Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours about where I may or may not be sleeping tonight," Harvey responds in kind, and she doesn't need to see him to know he's wearing that signature grin of his.

"Okay," Rosie sighs, "but if you're going to try and sneak out in the morning, be a little quieter this time. You've woken me up the last three nights in a row."

Donna snorts out loud before she can stop it, instinctively covering her mouth with one hand even though it's too late.

"Goodnight, Rosie," Harvey calls with a little hum to it as he slides out the door.

"Goodnight, _Dad_," Rosie replies with a little extra emphasis on the title that makes the grin on Donna's face grow impossibly wider.

Harvey turns to see her standing with her back against the wall and he shakes his head in mock disappointment at her.

"What are you so smiley about?" he asks, though she can tell he's already well aware.

"Just happy, that's all," she replies immediately, forfeiting the opportunity for lighthearted banter with him. They have plenty of time for that. Now seems like a time for being honest.

"Good," he says softly.

He reaches up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and lets his fingers trail across her cheek and jawline before giving her a kiss that's short and sweet and full of all the happiness she knows is reflected in him as well.

"Turns out we haven't been quite as stealthy as we thought," he says afterward, eyes still trained on her lips.

"And by we, I hope you mean you. I wasn't the one who ran into the end table last night."

He shakes his head, but he's smiling all the while, hand sliding from her chin to her waist as he pushes himself more firmly against her.

"Eventually I'm going to learn to navigate this place in the dark, you'll see."

"Alright, hotshot," she rolls her eyes at him. "In the meantime, maybe you ought to just use a flashlight. Your phone comes with one, you know."

"I think I've had enough of your sass for one night, woman."

"Oh yeah?" she challenges, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you plan to do about it?"

She's expecting a suggestive comeback, but what she gets is his hands settling on the back of her thighs and him hoisting her up so that she's forced to wrap her legs around his waist, arms instantly encircling his neck as she lets out a little squeal that's very uncharacteristic of her.

"If I told you, it would just take all the fun out of it, now wouldn't it?" he murmurs against her ear, breath hot and making her blush just the slightest.

Before she can respond, though, a loud groan comes from Rosie's bedroom accompanied by a shout of, "I can hear you, you know."

Harvey bursts out laughing at the exact same time she does. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, grinning against his skin as he begins to carry her in the direction of her bedroom.

"Is this weird?" he asks once they're at a safe distance from Rosie's room.

"A little," she shrugs.

He tosses her lightly onto the end of her bed, hovering over her with his arms encasing her, palms flat against the bedspread on either side of her waist.

"How much do you think she knows?"

"She's eleven, Harvey," Donna laughs at him. "She's seen Titanic a handful of times, and she watches Friends reruns religiously. She knows what's going on."

"I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"Harvey, every kid is uncomfortable thinking about their parents doing anything other than holding hands. That's natural. But she's happy for us, and I think she understands that it won't be like this forever."

"Yeah," he agrees, kissing the tip of her nose, which she scrunches up in response. "If it bothered her, she'd tell us, right?"

"Yes," says Donna, having had enough of his worrying. "Now stop talking so much."

She draws him down to her so that she can kiss him fully, feeling him smile against her lips.

He doesn't sneak out the next morning. In fact, he even stays for breakfast. Rosie insists on pancakes because it's Saturday, and Harvey makes sure to add a generous amount of strawberries and whipped cream, shooting Donna a look across the table that almost makes her choke on her coffee.

By Saturday night, Mike and Rachel decide that the new couple has had enough alone time and insist on a double date. Without their 24 hour babysitters, Harvey and Donna have no choice but to bring their daughter with them, but Rosie doesn't seem to mind. She trails along behind them in a Gucci jumpsuit and heels Harvey claims are way too tall for someone her age, and she never even says a word about the way they hold hands all the way from the car to their booth.

The five of them enjoy a nice dinner at a new seafood place Rachel had discovered a couple weeks ago, and it's not even until they've ordered that Mike makes a comment on how weird it is to finally see them together. Harvey rolls his eyes at his best friend, but underneath the table he reaches a hand over to place on Donna's leg. He doesn't move it even after the food comes, preferring to eat with only his right hand, which makes her smile despite herself. When it's time for dessert, she doesn't even bother ordering. She knows she's entitled to at least half of whatever Harvey's having, and she trusts his judgment, but more importantly she's ready to seize the chance to forgo any sort of pretense that she's eating her own when he's obviously going to share. She used to do that when they'd get dinner together before—pretend she lost her appetite for her own choice once she saw his and steal a couple bites until he'd eventually slide it over onto her side. When his cake comes, it's only with one fork, but he offers her the first bite and doesn't hand it over, choosing to feed it to her instead, which, of course, she accepts.

"I don't know, Rach," Mike says as he takes another sip of his wine. "Maybe they weren't ready to be around people yet. They're clearly not aware the rest of us are still trying to eat without gagging."

Rosie snorts into her ice cream and Rachel stifles a giggle.

"Very mature," Harvey throws back at him.

"Rosie, if this is what you've been dealing with for the past four days, I'm really very sorry I sent you back home," Mike says, as though Harvey and Donna aren't even there. "You're welcome to stay with me and Rachel until the newlyweds get back from their honeymoon."

"It _has_ been pretty disgusting," Rosie admits with a dramatic sigh.

"Okay, Lindsay Lohan, if you didn't want to see it, you shouldn't have tried to Parent Trap us in the first place," Harvey retorts.

Rosie rolls her eyes, "I wouldn't have _had_ to Parent Trap you if you both weren't complete idiots."

"Rosie," Donna warns, eyebrows raised.

"Maybe if you would've just been together in the first place, you wouldn't have had to rely on an eleven-year-old to be your fix-it girl, and I wouldn't have to put up with being a background character in the newest installment of _Fifty Shades of Grey_."

Mike's drink nearly comes out of his nose, but Donna can't even be bothered by it as she's too busy worrying over the shade of red her cheeks must have gone. Rachel is staring down at her lap, lips folded to keep from bursting with laughter, and Harvey looks an odd combination of shocked and indignant.

"That is _not_ true," he defends.

"Would you prefer I said _Sex in the City_?"

Mike bangs his fist against the table, shaking with suppressed laughter and Rachel finally lets out a chuckle, unable to stay quiet any longer.

"It's not...I mean, we're not...I didn't...we—"

Donna struggles to explain, but she's uncharacteristically flustered and can't seem to form a coherent sentence, so she looks to Harvey for help.

"Oh, this is the best day," Mike says to no one in particular, head thrown back against the booth, eyes towards the ceiling.

"It's really not like she's making it seem," Harvey explains, attempting to save their dignity as best as he can. "We haven't...I mean we have, but not like...not, you know..."

"Relax," Rachel finally manages to step in, much more sober than her fiancé seems to be at the moment. "It's totally understandable. Mike laughs, but he's no better, really. Right now everything is new and fun and exciting and especially for two people who have wanted to be together for as long as you two have, it makes perfect sense."

"Thank you, Rachel," Donna sighs, her cheeks feeling a little cooler now, but she's sure they're still bright pink.

"Of course," her best friend gives her a warm smile. "And I know Mike was kidding earlier, but we really wouldn't mind if Rosie wanted to come stay with us for a little while. It might be easier for everyone. You two deserve a little vacation. It's not like either of you have had one in the past decade."

Donna looks to Harvey who, without speaking, seems to agree that Rachel does make a good point.

"Let her come over for the week," Rachel urges. "You guys can have your privacy, and Rosie and I can get back to planning the wedding. I've been meaning to look over everything for months, but it's a horrendous task to take on by myself. Rosie loves helping me, and we'd have so much fun."

"Can I, Mom?" Rosie pleads.

"I don't know," Donna hesitates, glancing back at Harvey. The idea is tempting, but what kind of mother dumps her kid on her best friend just so she can spend some quality time with her new boyfriend?

"It's okay to think about yourself for once," Rachel adds, almost reading her thoughts. "You've earned some time off, Donna. And it's not like you're abandoning her. She wants to come."

Donna bites her lip, thinking over Rachel's words, then turns to Harvey, "What do you think?"

"I think a little vacation would do us all some good," he murmurs, squeezing her leg with the hand that's still wrapped around it.

Donna looks from Harvey to Rosie to Rachel, then to Mike, who has finally ceased laughing and seems to have no objection to this plan.

"Just for a week," she finally says, and Rosie does a little breathy cheer. "And you're still going to school like normal. Don't think you can talk Mike into letting you skip without me knowing. You have to get your homework done and sleep at a normal hour. This isn't some elongated slumber party, understand?"

"Yes, Mom," Rosie shakes her head with mild amusement.

Mike and Rachel follow them back to Donna's to collect Rosie's things for the next week. Donna still isn't entirely sure she made the right call with this, but she knows Rosie doesn't have a lot of friends her own age, and she loves spending time with Mike and Rachel. She'll have fun hanging out with them.

It takes them close to an hour to get everything packed, but the second they're out the door, Harvey has Donna pinned against the door while he tickles her sides. She's laughing so hard she can barely breathe, but she isn't worried about being quiet anymore.

"Harvey," she gasps. "Let me _go_."

Instead, he lifts her by the waist and throws her over his shoulder, making her scream. He laughs as he walks her to the couch and throws her down on it before crawling on top of her. She's completely out of breath, but she's smiling so much her cheeks hurt when he leans down to kiss her.

"One week of you all to myself," he murmurs into her ear. "That's a whole lot of Donna."

"Worried you'll get sick of me?" she jokes.

"No," he replies, entirely serious. "Never."

She can't help but kiss him then.

From that point on, it's a week full of laughter and kisses and late mornings and homemade meals and (with Donna's protest) late nights watching _Survivor_ on the couch. She teaches him the art of a good selfie, and he mutters that it's easy for someone who looks good in any light. She changes her lock screen to a picture of the two of them. His is just of her. She learns a little about baseball from watching a couple games with him, but mainly she reads while his eyes are fixated on the screen. Some days they have brunch, some days they eat breakfast in bed. One particularly messy morning consists of strawberries and whipped cream and nostalgia, and she ends up having to throw out the sheets (just like last time), but he promises to buy her new ones. On Wednesday, he celebrates their one week anniversary by taking her to Del Posto, and she laughs at the ridiculousness of it all but doesn't complain.

By the time Saturday arrives, she couldn't possibly feel more full. She's overflowing with love for this man, and she decides while they're getting ready for bed together that night that this is exactly what she wants for the rest of her life.

They're laying in bed just a few minutes later, her head on his chest and one of his arms folded behind his head while the other wraps around her to gently stroke her hand laying on his stomach. He's awfully quiet, something she's discovered to mean he's being contemplative.

"What are you thinking about, mister?" she asks.

He shifts to look at her and smiles, "Just how this has been the best week of my life."

"Oh yeah?" she smirks.

He nods, "Yeah."

"Well at the risk of letting it get to your head, this has been the best week of my life too."

"Oh yeah?" he mimics.

"Yeah," she repeats, biting her lip.

"Rosie's coming home tomorrow," he says suddenly.

"Yes."

"You miss her," he observes.

"I do," Donna agrees with a sigh. "It's weird not having her around. It's always been just the two of us, you know? Like Gilmore Girls or something."

"You, Donna Paulsen, are no Lorelai Gilmore," Harvey points out with a laugh.

"Well, _you_ aren't very Luke Danes," she challenges.

"Good. His fashion sense is horrendous."

"I think at least forty percent of your fashion sense is thanks to me," says Donna

He doesn't argue this.

"Probably."

"I miss Rosie," Donna admits after a moment, "but…"

"But?"

"I'm not ready for you to go just yet," she finishes, looking at him carefully.

"I'm not ready either," he frowns slightly.

"Then don't go."

"What are you saying?" he asks, shifting even more so that they're no longer tangled together but they're facing one another, eyes level.

"I'm saying, don't go," she repeats. "Just...stay."

"Stay here? You mean move in with you?"

She shrugs, "If that's what you want to call it..."

"Well, that's what it is," he points out.

She huffs in slight annoyance, "_Harvey_."

"_Donna_."

"I'm being extremely vulnerable right now, and you're not making it easy," she wines.

"I'm sorry," he says genuinely, pressing a small kiss to the palm of her hand.

"So...what are you thinking?" she urges.

"I'm thinking I really, _really_ don't want to go home."

"Good," she smiles, "Then don't."

"But…"

She sighs, eyes downcast, "But."

"I don't know," he hesitates. "Don't you think it's a little fast?"

"Harvey, we've talked about this," she reminds him because they have. "It's been long enough already. I'm tired of waiting."

"Waiting isn't the same as being in a relationship.

"No, it's not. But you told me you loved me before we even went on a first date, so I think we're pretty much already doing this in the wrong order. You are planning on moving in eventually, aren't you?"

"Well...yeah. Eventually. Not, you know, one week into it."

"Ten days, actually," she corrects.

"Oh, well, those three days really make all the difference."

"Harvey," she groans. "Look, if you don't want to move in, I'm not going to sit here all night trying to talk you into it. I just...I don't know. I thought we were having a great week, and I know we're still in that honeymoon phase or whatever, but I know it doesn't make a difference. We're both in this for the long run, and I'm so ridiculously in love with you. I don't want to go to sleep or wake up without you again. Ever."

There's a long silence. Then:

"Okay."

She sits up, looking down at him.

"Okay?" she repeats, needing clarification

"I don't ever want to go to sleep or wake up without you either," he says as though it's the simplest thing in the world, as if it hadn't occurred to him until she'd said it, but now that he thinks about it, there's no other way.

"What about it being too soon?" she asks, just to make sure.

"You were right about that too. We're doing things on our own timeline, and I have to stop comparing us to other couples. We're not like other couples."

"No," she smiles, "We aren't."

"We're just us. And I like us a whole lot."

"I like us a whole lot too. Love us, even."

"Agreed."

"So you're moving in?" she asks one more time, wanting to hear him say it. "Officially?"

"Looks like it," he smiles. She doesn't think she's seen him smile that big since he first saw Rosie.

"I love you," she tells him, leaning over to grab his face in both of her hands. "So much."

"I love you too," he whispers just before pulling her down to kiss him.

Definitely the best week ever.

**I have nothing to say other than that I hope you're all as happy with this as I was writing it. I love overly affectionate Darvey, and we didn't get as much of that in the show as I would've liked, but I like to pretend it happened anyway.**


	11. Terraform

**Hello! Yes, remember me? I still exist. Despite quarantine sucking out any productivity and motivation I might've had, I managed to punch this out in a little less than 48 hours after months of no inspiration.**

**Since we're in the habit of dedicating things, this chapter is for my auntie, whom I still love even though she tattled on me to my dad about restricting my access to food as motivation to get this done. I'M EATING NOW, DAD. ARE YOU HAPPY?**

**I think it's pretty obvious at this point that I don't own most of this content, but boy, do I ****_wish_**** I owned Simon Baker.**

"_It might be a little while, but_

_Maybe we'll realign soon_

_Made to reassign, but_

_Find me a little time too"_

"Come on!" Rosie shouts as she drops the Nintendo Switch in her lap with a groan.

"That's three out of five, baby!" Mike says with a whoop of glee. "I told you you couldn't handle the master. I've been playing Mario Kart since before you were born."

"You only won because I used Yoshi instead of Peach," Rosie argues.

Mike shakes his head and links his hands over his head, stretching dramatically, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, kiddo."

Just as Rosie goes to shoot off a smart response, she hears her dad calling from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready, losers. Get in here."

"And that's our cue," Mike chuckles.

"Don't think we're done yet," Rosie glares at him through narrowed eyes.

Mike shrugs, "Okay, but it's your funeral."

"We'll see about that."

She hops off the couch and bounces excitedly into the dining room with Mike trailing behind her. When she plops herself into her seat, she immediately turns to her mother and Rachel, who are already seated at the table with full plates and half-empty wine glasses.

"Mike is such a cheater."

"I resent that," he argues back as Harvey brings over their plates and takes a seat in front of his own. "You're just a sore loser, though I think it comes naturally."

He throws Harvey a glance at his last words, which the other man pointedly ignores.

"You should see him play cards," Rachel adds with a little roll of her eyes.

"Being able to memorize the deck doesn't actually count as cheating," Mike says.

"So you say."

Rosie giggles at the interaction. Though it's nothing new, she's lately found herself relishing in the simple normalcy of her parents and their friends' banter. So much of her life has been consumed by workplace drama and legal tragedies and family issues that have culminated in quite a traumatic experience for someone her age, despite her privilege. At least, that's what the therapist she's been seeing recently has told her. Despite the way everything seems to be falling into place recently, Harvey had insisted on her talking to someone, using his own experience as a perfect example, and claiming his issues might not have been so bad if only someone had sought professional help for him at her age. Rosie hasn't particularly seen a dramatic difference in her general mood, but she has noticed herself beginning to appreciate things more for what they are lately. Dinners with her family included.

When Harvey moved in a couple of months ago, their weekly dinners had quickly turned into Tuesdays with Mike and Rachel. They alternate apartments every week so that Harvey or Rachel isn't forced to fix every meal, and a couple of times they've even gone out together when a particularly tough case had been closed. Instead of going out for drinks with coworkers, they preferred celebrating together with Rosie and Donna, squabbling over video games and other nonsense. Having spent most of her childhood with only her mother, Rosie finds that she quite likes having a larger family, even if that family isn't by blood and includes her being severely outnumbered by adults.

After dinner, they all watch ghost hunter videos on YouTube and eat leftover donuts from one of Mike's morning meetings. Harvey nearly chokes on one of his during a particularly jarring jump scare, making everyone else laugh and Donna ask if he needs her to hold his hand. He shrugs her off, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Rosie that his arm around her shoulder tightens its grip a bit.

As far as her parents go, it seems cliche to put it like this, but Rosie has honestly never seen either of them happier than they've been in these past months. Granted, she's only been around them for a short portion of their lives, and she's been cognitively aware of them for even less of that time, but instinct tells her she's not wrong about this. Their family movies nights are more frequent, they're both almost constantly smiling, and Harvey is all the time splurging on little gifts and things for the apartment just because. Every month on their anniversary, Rosie gets shipped off to Mike and Rachel's for a couple of hours while they have a date night, something her mother teases him about relentlessly—something about Hailey's third-grade graduation which Rosie doesn't understand at all because as far as she knows, that's not even a thing.

She doesn't mind the extra time with Mike and Rachel, really. They've both been her built-in babysitters for years, Rachel herself even longer than that, and especially with all the wedding planning they've been doing lately, she's never bored. By the time their big six month anniversary rolls around, she and Mike are pretty square on Mario Kart wins, and Rachel's practically perfected the seating chart for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception. It doesn't even cross Rosie's mind that this date night will be any different than any of the other ones, despite it being more of a landmark than all the others. At least, not until Harvey urgently pulls her into the kitchen looking very serious and not at all like himself while Donna is still getting ready in the bedroom.

"We need to talk," he says, voice low and eyes not meeting hers.

To Rosie, that can only mean one thing.

"Anti-Gravity Desk was all Mike's idea, I swear! You can ask Louis himself."

"No, that's not—" Harvey cuts off, her words catching up with him, and he raises an eyebrow. "Anti-Gravity Desk?"

"Forget I said anything," she replies. "It's for the best. What did you want to talk about, then?"

Harvey glances around nervously and tucks a hand in his pocket that fidgets relentlessly.

"Are you off your meds or something?" she asks. "You look a little…"

"Anxious?"

"To put it lightly."

"Yeah, I mean, no, I'm not off my meds," he assures her, but he doesn't seem any calmer. "I just...I need to…"

"Maybe if you just spit it out," Rosie says with an eye roll.

"I need to ask you something kind of important."

"Okay…" Rosie drawls, watching as his free hand flexes in and out of a fist.

"You know um...it's been six months since your mom and I...since we, ya know."

"Uh huh," Rosie nods.

"Well, it doesn't seem like all that long of a time, but in reality, it's been, I don't know, like, thirteen years since we met and there's something to be said about my restraint thus far in doing this sooner if I'm being honest, and quite frankly, I know people who have done it sooner, so, really, this is nothing in comparison, and I just—"

"Dad," Rosie interrupts, placing a hand on his arm to steady its shaking. "You do realize you're making no sense at all right now, don't you?"

"Yeah," he nods.

He removes his fist from his pocket, but keeps it tightly locked, though when his eyes finally meet hers, his body seems to relax enough for him to take a breath and get a grip on the counter so that she's no longer worried about him keeling over at any moment.

"You wanted to ask me something?" she urges.

"It's been six months since your mother and I first became a couple, and tonight I want to ask her to marry me."

And before she has a chance to register his words, his fist is opening up, and in his hand, she finds what can only be the ring Lily gave him when they were in Boston last year shining back at her.

"Dad," she gasps audibly.

"It's um...it's your great grandmother's, and I haven't gotten a chance to get it resized or anything, but Marcus proposed with the other one and I thought, you know…"

"She's going to love it," Rosie promises, feeling tears building in her eyes when she finally looks back up at him. "That's what you wanted to ask me? If the ring was good enough? She doesn't care about the ring, you know that, don't you?"

"I do, in fact, arrogant as it may seem," he smiles to himself and places the ring back in his pocket. "That wasn't actually what I was going to ask."

"Then what is it? Worried she'll say no?"

"I wanted to ask your permission."

"My...permission?"

"Well, yeah. I think the whole father's blessing is a bit outdated, and your grandfather isn't exactly my biggest fan, but she's your mom, and I've already inserted myself into your life more than you might've expected, and I just wanted to make sure it was okay."

The overwhelming emotion that fills Rosie's heart at that moment is incomprehensible. She can't risk crying because Donna will certainly be able to tell, and that could potentially ruin everything.

Instead of saying something that will surely make her burst into tears, she settles for, "You do know you're my dad right? I don't think most fathers ask their daughters permission to marry their mothers."

"No," he smiles but looks at his feet. "But most fathers aren't cowards who spend eleven years running away from their own family."

Rosie grabs his hand, forcing him to turn his attention back on her.

"You're not a coward," she tells him sternly. "You thought you were protecting us, and neither of us blames you for that."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she smiles. "And about all that other stuff. I want you in my life, _have_ wanted you in my life, ever since...well, since long before I knew you were my dad. I want you to have joint bank accounts and to not be forced to testify against each other in court and whatever else comes with the benefit of being married. Except, maybe, for those little Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs. Those are pretty tacky."

Harvey chuckles, and in his smile, she sees an ocean of relief has washed over him.

"You're right about that," he agrees.

"And I'm right about all the other stuff too?" she coaxes, squeezing his hand.

"And you're right about all the other stuff too," he agrees reluctantly.

"Good," Rosie smiles. "Now we can stop doing the self-loathing thing and get back to the 'you're proposing' bit?"

"I don't know what else there is to say."

"What else there is to say about what?"

Rosie whips around at the sound of her mother's voice, watching as she walks from the hallway to the kitchen while still trying to put in one of her earrings. She waits for Harvey to cover for them, but one glance at him tells her he's going to be no help at all. He's staring at Donna wide-eyed and slack-jawed like he's never seen her in evening attire before.

"About Mike suspending Louis's desk in the air today," Rosie finally spits out, recalling the beginning of the conversation with her father. "He calls it Anti-Gravity Desk."

Donna stops short as her earring slips into place, "Anti-Gravity Desk, huh?"

"Dad won't believe me that I wasn't in on it," Rosie continues while Harvey's eyes remain fixed on her mother.

"Maybe that's because you're typically the mastermind behind every Louis prank," Donna goads her, but it's all with humor. "Are we all ready?"

Harvey, finally somewhat snapped from his trance, manages a little nod, and just as Donna goes to grab her purse, Rosie nudges him with her elbow.

"Stop staring at her like that. She's gonna notice."

This brings him back fully, and as Donna returns, he even manages to slip his hand casually into hers and gives Rosie a little smile over his shoulder that proves he's back in control.

"You never did tell me where we're going tonight," Donna muses as Harvey pauses to make sure the door is locked.

"I told you it's a surprise," he smirks, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding them towards the elevator.

"You're sure that's the story you wanna stick with?" she says, eyebrows raised questioningly. "I'm going to figure out you're winging it when they happen to misplace our reservation wherever we end up."

"You think too little of me, Ms. Paulsen," Harvey tuts playfully just as the elevator opens and they file inside. "You really think I'd wing it on such a special occasion."

"I might," Donna pretends to mull this over. "If I didn't know you better."

"Yet know me, you do," he counters, giving her waist a little squeeze.

The journey to Mike and Rachel's is relatively silent, considering Rosie is afraid to speak without bursting with the secret her father had just told her. The small pleasantries that are exchanged between her parents and their best friends nearly cause her to explode, so it's really no wonder that as soon as the door shuts behind them she loses it altogether.

"Dad's proposing tonight!" she squeals, barely remembering to keep her volume low, in case her mother is somehow within earshot.

"He's...what?" Mike splutters out while Rachel just screams.

"He told me right before we left tonight. He's got his grandmother's ring and everything."

Rachel continues to babble excessively, asking a million questions, hardly any of which Rosie has the answer to since her earlier conversation had been cut short. Mike, however, seems unsure of how to react.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me!" he finally says with a little pout. "I'm his best friend."

"Don't feel bad," Rosie reassures him. "I'm his daughter and the only reason he told me when he did was because he wanted to ask my permission."

"He asked your permission?" Rachel gushes. "That's so sweet."

"Yeah," Rosie agrees, "but it's not like I would actually say no."

"Look," Mike cuts in, "I hate to interrupt when you two are on a roll, but I did rent _Fantastic Beasts_ just for this occasion, and we don't have all night."

"It's not like we haven't already seen it twice," Rosie argues but begins moving towards the bedroom anyways.

"Good cinema is good cinema, kiddo," Mike replies as he and Rachel follow behind. "You can't beat it."

Once they're all settled on top of the bed and Mike has the DVD rolling, it doesn't take long for Rachel to fall asleep. Predictably, she asks a couple questions at first and then falls silent for a while before Rosie notices she's out. Disinterested and worn out from a long day at work, she usually never makes it through the whole movie, but this time she's dead to the world before the real plot of the movie has begun.

"Do you wanna do something else?" Mike asks Rosie after a while of listening to Rachel's heavy breathing. "I mean, like you said, we've already seen it twice, and if she's not even going to remember any of it…"

"I could obliterate you in Mario Kart again," Rosie suggests teasingly.

"As much as the thought of me obliterating you in Mario Kart does appeal to me, I don't think we'd be very quiet. I don't want to wake her yet. She'll want to be up when your parents come back, and she hasn't got a decent night's rest in a while."

"Okay," Rosie agrees and scoots to the end of the bed so she can slide off without disturbing Rachel. "You teach me a new card game then."

After thirty minutes or so of playing a two-person game that Mike calls Trash, Rosie begins to get bored and ends up pestering him with questions about his life before he joined Pearson Hardman. Some of the questions he answers easily, others he evades for what she can only assume are either embarrassing reasons or things he thinks she's too young to know about. At some point, though, his early life turns into his first years working with Harvey back when she was too young to remember much of anything. He tells her a really good story about a time he and Harvey snuck into Louis's office after hours which has her laughing for a good five minutes.

Once Mike runs out of good stories for her, they easily shift into a back and forth of Top Five, discussing anything from books to artists to clothing brands.

"Okay," Rosie says when it's her turn to ask. "Top five non-Marvel movies."

Mike looks supremely offended, "What?!"

Rosie giggles, "If I let you do Marvel, it would take up all five!"

"Not true," he argues

"Okay, most of them though."

"Probably."

"So," Rosie urges, "go on."

"Alright," Mike sighs, concentrating. "So, _Top Gun_, obviously."

"Obviously," Rosie rolls her eyes.

"And _Die Hard _because, I mean, it's _Die Hard_. I'd probably have to say _A Few Good Men_..._Dead Poets Society_...and…"

Here, he trails off, debating something internally before chuckling a little to himself.

"Okay, this last one...I'm gonna tell you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else, especially your dad, and I know I'm giving you blackmail material for eternity, but for the sake of the game—"

"Just tell me!" Rosie begs, growing impatient.

"It's..._The Devil Wears Prad_a"

"I _love_ _Devil Wears Prada_!"

He smiles somewhat shyly, "I know you do."

"It's probably the only movie other than _The Parent Trap_ that I have almost entirely memorized."

"That," Mike says pointedly, "does not surprise me."

"I can't believe you never told me how much you like it," she laughs.

"Well...you know..." he shrugs.

"We have to watch it next time I come over," says Rosie excitedly. "The only person I ever watch it with is my mom and she spends half the time talking about how hot Simon Baker is."

Mike chokes out a laugh, "Your mom has a thing for Simon Baker?"

"Oh, for sure," she replies, eyes wide and dramatic. "She's been watching _The Mentalist _for like basically as long as I can remember, and she fully cried when it went off the air last year."

"Why doesn't that surprise me at all?"

Rosie shrugs, "She's got a type. Not that I blame her."

"That she does," Mike nods in agreement. "But, um, hey, while we're here with some time to kill, just the two of us, there's something I need to tell you."

"Shoot," Rosie says, tucking her feet under her and turning so they were face to face on the couch.

She notices Mike is looking at his lap and can't help but remember the way her father had approached her similarly earlier that night with some pretty big news. Whatever Mike was planning on telling her now, it wasn't something he'd just thought of off the top of his head.

"So, you know how I was working for that clinic when I first got back from prison?"

Rosie nods.

"Well, the reason I was working for them was because, well, they're more about helping the people who can't help themselves. It's different from the kind of thing we do at the firm. It's...I don't want to say better, because the work your dad does is important too, but it's more of my area of expertise. I feel like it's somewhere I can make a difference. I belong in a place where I'm working for the common man, not the one percent. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda," Rosie tilts her head, thinking this over a bit. She may not understand exactly what he's saying, but she gets the gist of it. "You're not happy at the firm."

"It's not that, exactly," Mike grimaces. "I do love working there. I love being in the same building as Rachel all day, and being your dad's partner is amazing, and the people there, they're like my family. I just...the work I'm doing. I could be doing more, _should_ be doing more."

"I thought my dad was still letting you work for the Clinic?" Rosie ponders aloud.

"He was letting me do that, but sometimes it's hard to keep track of the two. It's complicated. I don't expect you to understand. I just wanted to…"

He sighs, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

"Rachel and I got a job offer," he finally manages. "Working for a place like the Clinic, except we'd be heading it up, running the whole place with our own associates and everything."

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" Rosie smiles. "I mean, I'd miss seeing you guys around when I came to the office, but we'd still have our Tuesday dinners and plenty of time on the weekends."

Mike smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes, "That's the thing. We wouldn't have those things...because the job is in Seattle."

Rosie's heart sinks before she even has time to consider what this means, "Seattle?"

"Yeah."

"But that's...that's like…"

"On the other side of the country," Mike nods. "I know."

"You're moving to Seattle?" she asks softly, tears pricking her eyes.

"Not officially, no. We haven't decided yet. They've given us a little while to think it over, and I wanted to tell you because it's important to me that whatever we decide, you know we didn't leave you out of the equation. Of all the pros and cons list we've made for staying or leaving, your name has always been right up on the top of whichever side meant that we'd stay."

She isn't sure she knows how to respond to this, but it ends up not being an issue because just then there's a knock on the door that can only belong to one of two people.

"They're here!" she cries and immediately races back into the bedroom to nudge Rachel awake. "Rachel, come on. Get up. My parents are here."

Groggily, Rachel begins to stand up, understanding the urgency even though she's still half asleep. It doesn't matter, though, because when they make it into the living room, Harvey and Donna are already there, and Mike is pulling Harvey into a hug while Rachel and Rosie practically pounce on Donna, searching for her ring.

"It's so pretty on you!" Rosie gushes while Rachel observes the heirloom in detail, seeing as she's never had a glance until now. "I mean, I knew it would be, but it definitely looks like it belongs there."

"It does, doesn't it?" Donna sighs as Rachel wraps her arms around her and they both do a little girly squeal that is very uncharacteristic and yet entirely precedented.

Rosie turns around, expecting to catch her father, but apparently the men have already gone in search of celebratory drinks.

"I can't believe everyone knew but me," Donna shakes her head in amazement.

"We haven't known all that long, really," Rachel assures her. "Now, spill the details."

Donna sighs, a happy, content sort of thing, and leads them all over to the couch where she sits between them.

"It wasn't anything extravagant, really. He took me to the bar where we first met, and we sat in the same little booth we were sitting in that night, and I thought it was sweet because it was six months and everything. We just sat there eating and reminiscing for a long while, and before I knew it he was pulling a ring out of his pocket, saying that the last time we were there together, he knew he wanted to marry me. It was ridiculous, of course, but I let him get away with it because I couldn't exactly be trusted to form a coherent sentence. And that was it."

"Plain, simple, and a little messy," Rachel concludes. "Sounds on-brand for the two of you."

Donna smiles but is halted from saying anything further when the men come back in the room carrying four beers and a cream soda.

"Sorry," Mike shrugs. "I didn't know we would be celebrating. This is the best I could find on such short notice."

"Ugh," Rachel grimaces as she takes one of the bottles. "This isn't even cold."

"It's fine," Donna assures Mike, taking a bottle for herself from Harvey's outstretched hand and then passing Rosie her own drink.

They stay for a while after that, chatting about not only one, but now two weddings and so many other things like all of the times Mike and Rachel thought they were going to tear their own hair out from watching their best friends struggle with their feelings and doing nothing about them. Everything is all smiles and laughter and teasing for so long, in fact, that Rosie actually forgets all about Seattle.

By the time she and her parents arrive back at their apartment, she's exhausted and puts up no argument when Donna says she needs to go straight to sleep. She does, however, pause outside her bedroom watching Harvey get a bottle of water from the fridge while removing his jacket and tie.

"Dad?" she asks quietly.

'Yeah?" he moves towards his own room with his water but stops when he reaches her.

"Would you really not have asked Mom if I didn't want you to?"

He doesn't even hesitate before replying.

"Yep."

Rosie ponders this for a moment. She wonders if that little thought hadn't been plaguing her all evening.

"Isn't this the part where I'm supposed to say that you must not love her enough if you aren't willing to break down every obstacle to be with her?" she wonders aloud.

"You could look at it that way," Harvey shrugs. "Or, you could look at it like a father who would do anything for his daughter, including putting her happiness ahead of his own."

Rosie smiles, "I'm glad we don't have to look at it either way."

"Me too," he agrees with his own twin smile. "Goodnight, Shortstop"

"Goodnight, Dad."

He doesn't wait to see if she heads for her room, and she watches as he walks casually into his with a spring in his step that she hadn't ever seen before.

The next month passes in a blur. April 25th is the date of Mike and Rachel's wedding, and despite the craziness going on at the firm, Donna is determined they won't postpone it again, so they really only have a month to throw things together, which keeps Rosie distracted and busy enough outside of school, even when Spring Break rolls around. Everything is perfect, more than perfect by her standards, until two days before the wedding when her entire world falls apart.

Her parents have just told her that Mike and Rachel's final decision has been made. They're moving to Seattle. Yet, that's not even the worst of it.

"What do you think about Boston?" Harvey asks her as she attempts to wipe away her tears.

"What about Boston?" she sniffs.

"About, um, living there," Donna finishes.

"What?" Rosie finds her voice cracking. "You want to move to Boston? Why? I don't want to move there! All my friends are here. Just because you're losing your friends doesn't mean I have to too."

Harvey tries to reach her but she yanks away.

"Rosie..." he starts.

"You aren't really going to make me, are you?" she asks her mother, begging for the answer she wants so desperately to hear.

"I think...it would be good for you," Donna says instead. "Good for all of us. Things have been crazy here lately, what with Jessica and everything. Your dad and I...we think this is what's best for us right now. We need to go somewhere that we can focus on just being a family for a little while, slow down, get our bearings a little. With Mike and Rachel gone, work just won't be the same, and we've got no other family around here. Boston is where Grandma and Marcus live, and it's much closer to Pops and Grammy too."

Despite the fact that Rosie would love living much closer to all of her grandparents, she can't imagine being anywhere but New York City. No more Broadway dates on weekends, shopping in Times Square to make fun of the tourists, skating in Central Park-all the things she loves most about the city where she was born.

"But _this_ is our home," she counters.

"Well," Harvey sighs, "we want to make a new home. One that's all of us together. A fresh start."

Though unconvinced, Rosie can see that arguing is a losing battle, so she goes to her room to sulk in privacy. After a while, she calls Alice and they cry over the phone about having to have a long-distance friendship. She listens to sad music and stares at her ceiling until she's tired enough to fall asleep.

On the day of the wedding, Rosie can think of little else besides what's happening from one hour to the next. She helps Donna and Rachel with their hair and makeup for a long while, carrying messages between the bride and the groom who she is insistent upon keeping apart even though Mike has already seen Rachel in her wedding dress.

When it's time for the actual ceremony, Rosie sits alone in the front row on the groom's side, because Mike has no other family members to occupy the other seats. She watches first as her parents walk down the aisle together looking absolutely radiant like they belong there. Then there's Rachel, and Rosie thought she looked beautiful before, but when everyone stands for the bride, she can't help but think that's _her_ Rachel, the one that's been there for her through sickness and heartache and any number of horrible things, and she swells with pride. Her Rachel finally getting what she deserves after all this time. She glances quickly at Mike, noticing from this short distance that his eyes are swelling with a few unshed tears at the sight of the woman who is about to become his wife.

As they say their vows, she sees her parents exchange a meaningful gaze, one that says, "This will be us soon." Rosie can't wait.

She watches the rest of the ceremony with a thousand-watt smile on her face. After Mike and Rachel have broken their kiss and are beginning to walk back up the aisle, Mike reaches out an arm and snatches her around the waist, pulling her in to plant a very wet kiss on her cheek that has her laughing with both slight embarrassment and pure joy.

At the reception, Rachel introduces Rosie to a blonde woman named Samantha who used to babysit her when she was younger.

"She was basically what I am to you," Rachel tells her with a smile. "Except, probably a lot cooler."

"I don't know about that," Samantha laughs. "You seem pretty cool yourself."

"Rachel's the best," Rosie agrees. Though she's not usually easily persuaded to take up a conversation with someone she hardly knows, she finds chatting with Samantha about Rachel incredibly easy. The older woman has plenty of embarrassing stories that she's never heard, and Rosie has a few good new ones that Samantha probably hasn't heard either.

"So," Samantha says after a while, "you're Harvey Specter's kid?"

"The one and only," Rosie smiles proudly, glancing over Samantha's shoulder at her father who is laughing with Mike and some man she's never seen before. "You know my dad?"

"Only by word of mouth," says Samantha, popping a grape into her mouth and chewing before continuing. "Thankfully for him, we've never been on opposite sides of a case."

Rosie laughs, but says, "Don't underestimate him just because you've only heard the rumors."

"Oh, I'm not underestimating him. I just have a lot of confidence in myself."

"I can respect that," Rosie nods. "My mom says it's important for a woman to make up for the world's treatment of them with their own confidence."

"Sounds like my kind of woman," Samantha says, raising an eyebrow as she takes a sip of champagne.

Rosie notices movement over her shoulder and peers more closely to see Mike beckoning her to him. She excuses herself politely and walks the maze of people and tables to get to him.

"Let's dance," he says as soon as she reaches him, grabbing her wrist before she has a chance to protest.

She laughs as he drags her out onto the dance floor, where plenty of people she doesn't know seem to be having a grand time. Mike doesn't attempt to arrange them into any sort of formal dancing position, but instead takes her hands and begins swinging their arms and spinning her in and out and around in circles while they both laugh until the band takes the hint and switches the song to something more upbeat. She vaguely notices some people she recognizes moving around her: Rachel's parents, Louis and Sheila, Katrina, and Alex. Samantha even joins in after a while, swaying around with Rachel's dad while her mom takes a break. When the upbeat song ends, Mike guides her back over to their table.

"Thank you," he says with a heavy breath.

"For what?" she asks, confused.

"Saving me," he replies, gulping down some of his drink and stuffing a slice of pineapple into his mouth. "They never warn you that you don't actually get the food you picked out for your own wedding."

Rosie laughs, "Well, you're welcome to use me as a buffer for as long as you need. I don't exactly have anyone else to hang out with."

"Sorry," Mike gives her a sympathetic half-smile but quickly turns back to trying to fit as many crackers in his mouth as he can.

"So how does it feel?" she asks him. "Being married, I mean?"

He shrugs, "Not so different really. It's more of a formality at this point isn't it?"

"I guess so."

"I mean, don't get me wrong. I've wanted to marry her for a long time now, and I love her more than anything, but we've been sharing a life and an apartment for so long...it's always sort of felt like we were married, even if we weren't."

"I think that's sweet, but I wouldn't tell Rachel that."

"Not a chance," he smirks at her with a wink.

She sits for a while with him so he can eat in peace for a bit. Every now and then he'll make a comment that doesn't require more of a response than a smile or a slight chuckle, and she's content to crowd watch by his side. She sees her parents dancing together for a good bit, which, though now a pretty common sight, still makes her heart feel light.

"Do you remember when I first came to work for your dad?"

Mike's words draw her away from gazing at the crowd of dancing guests and back to him. He's wiping his hands on a napkin, plate empty, and looking a lot more satisfied.

"Not really," she says after a moment.

"Well, you didn't like me too much at first," he reminds her.

"That, I remember," she grins, thinking back to a short period of her life when she must've only been four or five and the vague feelings of bitterness and anger she had felt towards her dad's new best friend. Only, she hadn't known he was her dad then, and his new companion was someone that took away her time with him.

"You hated me, actually, up until the night you had to get your appendix out," Mike continues.

"I don't remember that much either," she admits. "Just that it hurt a lot"

"I'm not surprised. You were kinda out of it most of the time, but I was hoping you retained at least some of it. Someone's gotta give me credit for holding your little head over the toilet while you puked your guts out."

"You did that?" she asks, slightly surprised, though she really shouldn't be.

"Yeah. Harvey was too busy yelling at some nurses or something. Held you right there in my lap on the floor of the waiting room bathroom until they called you back."

"You're going to be a really good dad someday, Mike," she tells him sincerely, not really sure why he'd chosen to bring up this particular story at this particular time, but going along with it anyways.

He chuckles softly, "Well, I sure hope so. If I can be half as good a dad as yours is, then I'll be okay."

"Well, I think you're going to be great because you've already been better than that to me."

"Yeah?" he smiles a little sheepishly.

"Yeah," she repeats with an affirmative nod.

Perhaps it hadn't fully sunk in before this moment (though what caused it to now she doesn't know) or perhaps it had sunken in a long time ago and she'd been burying it under loads of new happy memories, but the realization that in just a few short months, she'll be in Boston and the newlyweds will be three thousand miles in the opposite direction makes her desperate to do something, anything, that might keep the feeling of peace and contentment she's had all day stay just a little longer.

"Mike?"

"Hmm?" he hums, his attention shifting to the guests as hers had earlier.

"Don't go to Seattle."

"Rosie—"

She stops him before he can offer some empty platitudes, "Please. Just...don't go. I don't only want to see you on birthdays and Christmas because eventually birthdays and Christmas is gonna turn into Christmas and then Christmas will be Skype because you want your kids to be home for Santa, and I just...I just got my whole family, and I'm not ready to miss you yet."

"I know, kiddo, but this is just something I have to do for me. It might not be for forever. In fact, I doubt it will be for forever."

"A lot can happen in just a couple of years," she counters grumpily. "So much is changing, and at first it was all great, and I was so excited, and now…"

"I know you're scared about Boston," he picks up after she trails off. "But you're the most amazing kid I know, and you're going to make new friends in no time."

"I doubt it, but it's not just that. I'm going to have to find a new therapist and a new doctor and a new, well, everything."

"Yeah, but…"

"My mom said it was a fresh start for us. I get that, really I do, but it's just, they never mentioned anything about it until you guys started talking about moving. They said the firm wasn't going to be the same without you and Rachel like they didn't wanna be there without you, and I just thought if I could convince you guys to stay—"

"You wouldn't have to go to Boston," Mike finishes with an air of understanding.

"Yeah."

Mike remains solemn for a moment, as though piecing something together in his head. She watches his face as it carries a range of emotions, wondering if this is what he looks like when he's truly invested in a case. She's never seen him work before, so she wouldn't know, but this definitely feels like an idea forming in his head. After a little while, he stands up abruptly.

"I need to talk to your mom about something," is all he says, no final words to address their previous conversation that was left somewhat open-ended, no further explanation. He just walks away towards the buffet where Donna is talking with Katrina over a plate of shrimp.

Rosie watches as he explains to her whatever it was he'd just been thinking for a few minutes while her mother listens with wide eyes. Donna says something back, and they go back and forth for a few seconds, then head off in opposite directions: Mike towards Rachel and Donna towards Harvey. Seeing as she can't keep up with both conversations at once, Rosie settles on watching her parents instead. Harvey slips an arm around Donna's waist almost, it seems, subconsciously while she prattles on about whatever Mike had wanted her to relay to her. Harvey stares intently before responding in kind. Donna seems rather enthusiastic about whatever it is, while Harvey looks stoic in comparison, but Rosie knows him well enough that she can tell he isn't. He's excited about something too.

Soon after, they all four converge, and Rosie decides she can't take it any longer. Whatever they're up to, she can't sit here one more second and not know what it is, so she weaves her way over to them just in time to hear the end of her dad's sentence.

"...if it's our own firm."

"Your own firm?" Rosie asks, interest fully piqued. "Is that what you guys were conspiring about? You want to start your own firm."

Mike looks to her, "Well, it was just an idea…"

"A perfect idea!" Rosie squeals, unable to contain her excitement. "You can take whatever clients you want, and we can all stay here. No one has to move."

"Well…" Harvey tries, but she barely notices.

"You can get out of your Seattle jobs, right?" she asks Mike and Rachel.

"Yeah, but, see, the thing is, we're under a pretty tough non-compete clause here in New York, and considering all the rule-bending Specter Litt has been doing lately, I don't think it'd be a good idea for any of us, much less all three of us, to try and wiggle our way out of that one," Mike tells her.

"I'm not really sure what that means, but it can't be that bad, right? You guys can find your way around anything. Isn't that kind of what lawyers are best at."

They all laugh a little at that, but it's Donna that finally explains.

"_If_ we started a firm, it wouldn't be here. It would be in Boston."

"Oh," Rosie deflates a little. "So we'd still have to move?"

"Yeah," says Harvey, "but Mike and Rachel would be coming too, so it would be better, right?"

Rosie smiles, "I guess I could live with that."

"We feel really bad about everything we've put you through," Donna tells her earnestly. "What with lying to you about your father's identity for so long, and everything during Mike's trial and your grandmother and...we know you don't want to go to Boston, but sometimes parents just have to do what they think is best, and this is one of those times. We thought, maybe, having Mike and Rachel there, us still being a family, it would make it alright."

"It'd be alright," Rosie agrees, but she's smiling too widely to maintain any sense of indifference.

"We still have to go over everything for the next couple of days and make sure we can work it all out, but if Mike and Rachel are on board, your dad and I are one hundred percent on board."

"Are you?" she turns again to Mike and Rachel specifically.

"Remember when I said your name was always at the top of my list of reasons to stay?" Mike asks. "Swapping Seattle for Boston is a small price to pay for being able to put your name at the top of the one telling me to go. Plus, I think Rachel's parents will hate me a little less if I'm only moving four hours away as opposed to three time zones."

In the next instant, Rosie throws herself at him, hugging him as tightly as she can, sure she's going to start crying any minute now and soak his tuxedo, but chances are he's never going to wear it again anyway, so she can't really bring herself to care. She hugs all of them in turn, spending extra long in her mother's arms, looking at her with tears streaming down her face.

Because it is Mike and Rachel's wedding reception, they don't get to spend much more time discussing the impending future as any of them might've liked, but it ends up being a good time anyway. Rosie lets Harvey coax a couple more dances out of her, and she introduces him to Samantha, telling the woman that soon she won't have any competition to worry about in the NYC legal field. Katrina catches the bouquet when it's tossed and Rosie manages to evade the whole scene to catch it on video. By the time the newlyweds are ready to head home, Rosie is thoroughly worn out. She knows she'll see them again before they leave for their honeymoon (a week-long vacation in Italy), but she can't help getting a little emotional at the goodbyes anyways.

In the next couple of days, any of their free time is devoted to hammering out the finer details of the move and getting Mike and Rachel packed for their trip. The night before their trip, while the men are at a late meeting with a client, Donna and Rosie are helping Rachel fold her clothes into her suitcase and discussing how they'll integrate into life in Massachusetts. Despite their line of work, neither of them truly belongs in the snobby business scene, which they insist will make up eighty percent of the people they'll be forced to interact with.

"Maybe we should fake that horrible accent," Rachel laughs as she tosses Donna a couple of dresses.

"I was thinking about investing in some kind of rewards program with Ralph Lauren. You know, so the guys will always have plenty of Polos and we'll have plenty of...whatever kind of dresses they sell."

"Oh, and Sperry's too," Rachel adds.

"I think we need a boat," Rosie puts in as she stuffs a pair of Rachel's into an already overflowing bag of shoes.

"That too," Donna agrees. "Rosie, you can go by your full name in Boston. Maybe dye your hair a more natural color. Take up horseback riding."

"Okay," Rosie agrees after pretending to ponder this for a moment, "but Prep School is where I draw the line. I'm not going anywhere that makes me wear _plaid_."

After they've had their fun and Rachel is all packed and ready to go, Donna and Rosie head out for the night, promising to see them off at the airport in the morning.

The morning, it turns out, is way earlier that Rosie expected to have to be awake for an 8:00 AM flight. She doesn't bother putting on anything remotely attractive and pulls her hair up into a ponytail as she's being rushed out the door by both of her parents with a bagel held between her teeth. They walk Mike and Rachel right up to security and exchange a few quick hugs. It's less of an affair than it might've been, had they been moving across the country in the next two months. Just as Rachel grabs her things and tells Mike it's time to go, he leans over and presses a kiss to Rosie's cheek.

"You better get lots of practice in while I'm gone or prepare to taste defeat."

Rosie smiles, "Next Sunday. My couch. Be there."

Mike gives her a wink and follows his wife without another glance back.

By the time they come home, Harvey has already found a newly developed neighborhood in Boston and two houses for sale to put an offer on. Donna contacts a couple of different people about leasing on an empty office space in the city, and then they start packing. Rosie still isn't sold on this idea completely, but knowing they're all going to be together for a very long while makes the whole ordeal seem a lot less daunting.

She thinks she ought to start looking for good areas to hold a wedding reception in Massachusetts.

**Is it bad to say I didn't really proofread this because I'm lazy? And hungry. Because that is entirely true.**

**Anyways, this chapter was very Rosie + Machel centric which wasn't purposeful at first but became so by the end. If you don't like Mike and Rachel (I know there are people who don't), then I'm really not sorry. Perhaps you out to learn to, but really, who am I to say?**


End file.
